J.B. Van Hollen Hates Freedom

J.B. Van Hollen, our compltely in the tank for McLiar Attorney General, is still trying to suppress the votes of thousands of Democrats. Van Hollen is the one person in the state that ought to be tried & jailed. What an anti-democratic traitor. Oh, & an asshole. Here's some truth.

The fact is that Wisconsin has never been known for voting fraud. After some Republicans claimed there were irregularities in Milwaukee in 2004, the Bush-appointed U.S. attorney who investigated reported that the claims were unfounded, if not fabricated out of whole cloth. Oh, some 81 felons did vote, but they weren't corralled by some devious politicians. They honestly didn't know they weren't supposed to vote. Some scandal! Truth is, in most parts of the U.S., Wisconsin elections are viewed as squeaky clean, as well they should be.

More here. & here.

Reason #349,394,330,000,374 to Continue Hating Bu$hCo

The asshole wants to put the nation in even more danger.

According to the Office of Management and Budget's regulatory calendar, the commercial scallop-fishing industry came in two weeks ago to urge that proposed catch limits be eased, nearly bumping into National Mining Association officials making the case for easing rules meant to keep coal slurry waste out of Appalachian streams. A few days earlier, lawyers for kidney dialysis and biotechnology companies registered their complaints at the OMB about new Medicare reimbursement rules. Lobbyists for customs brokers complained about proposed counterterrorism rules that require the advance reporting of shipping data.

Things Are Really Going To Shit For Republicans

Palin's sponsor is just one more convicted ReThug. Interesting how a potential landslide against the ReThugs changes things.

A jury today found U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens guilty of all seven counts of lying on his financial disclosure forms.

Tony Hillerman, R.I.P.

Obit here.

That Team Of Coastal Elites With A Green #4 Wins

The N.Y. Times needs to suck it up & enjoy the last minute, comeback victories provided by Brett Favre. Note to Greg Bishop, there is nothing ugly about a Favre win.

The Jets won, 28-24, in front of a packed house....

Those Who Know Palin Best

Reject her.

The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

My emphasis.

Who Knew?

This 15 point lead is probably bad for Sen. Obama. The press narrative just gets dumber & dumber.

Can You Remember 8 Years Ago?

Barely. Via Adrastos.

UPDATE:

It occurred to me that not everyone would remember the original ad & therefore not get the video I posted above. After searching YouTube, here is the the ad from eight years ago. Hope this helps.

Some American French You Tonight

Makes me miss...oh, y'all don't need to be at my sadness tonight. Enjoy. Via Cookie Jill at skippy, the bush kangaroo's place. Man, that gumbo looks great.

The Good News Just Won't Stop

Sununu, son of a Zamfir fan, & that ought to tell you something, is getting his ass beat in New Hampshire. I couldn't be happier. Double digit happier.

Puget Sound Orcas

It appears that seven Orcas are missing.

Others missing, according to the center, include K-7, the 98-year-old matriarch of K-pod,....

Wow, 98 years old. My empphasis.

Bachmann The New McCarthy

Please, loyal four readers, donate here to help really censure that hateful Michele Bachmann. We really need to elect Elwyn Tinklenberg in MN-6. Thanks in advance.

J.B. Van Hollen Eats It

The ReThugs, like Van Hollen, aren't going to suppress the vote in Wisco, at least not with a lawsuit. Van Hollen is an ass.

UPDATE: & it's happening all over.

Boy, I Tell You

Things are coming up lilacs all over.

Mitch McConnell (R) 48%
Bruce Lunsford (D) 48%

No Surprise Here

As usual, a police force is found to be racist.

A report by a civil liberties group has found that Los Angeles police officers are more likely to stop and search black and Hispanic residents than they are whites, even though whites are more often found carrying guns and contraband.

My emphasis.

Accountability

Right-wingers like to make fun of France, but the accountability show at the Caisse d'Epargne ought to be a model for our banks. So far, I don't see many executives resigning or not taking any severance pay. In fact, the boneheads that got us into this mess are now charged with fixing it.

Mr. Blackwell, R.I.P.

Oh, Noes. I'm not sure what I will do in my fashion life from now on.

Packers Win!

Packers 34, Colts 14

Good refs. I'm not even going to mention the Iowa debacle involving some team named the Badgers. Even good refs could not have saved that stinker.

Seems Like Those Canadians...

...are way smarter than we are. I suppose the holy market is supposed to fix the problem. I'm not holding my breath.

Levi Stubbs, R.I.P.

Obit here. Finding out about this death made me realize what memory is good for. I don't remember much, but I remember The Four Tops.

At Wal-Mart

You'd better not drink the Sam's Choice water.

To the contrary, our tests strongly indicate that the purity of bottled water cannot be trusted. Given the industry's refusal to make available data to support their claims of superiority, consumer confidence in the purity of bottled water is simply not justified.

Figure 1. Pollutants in Walmart and Giant Bottled Water Exceed Industry and California Standards

Actually, it's no surprise. The trouble with Wal-Mart is that they really have monopolized retail trade in the country, particularly in rural America. I mean, crap, we've got a Super Wal-Mart up here in way northern Wisco. Hat tip, The Kid over at The Twin's Place

We're 29th!

We spend so much on health care, yet we rank 29th in infant mortality. What gives? I understand the last eight years of neglect from Bu$hCo, but I thought we were a much better country than this.

The United States dropped to 29th in the world in infant mortality in 2004, the latest year data are available from all countries. The year before, it was 27th. In 1960, it was 12th.

Yay For Wisco

We, the good people of Wisco, have driven the angry, racist, lousy candidate, John McLiar, out of our state. Good on us.

The Republican National Committee is halting presidential ads in Wisconsin and Maine, turning much of its attention to usually Republican states where GOP nominee John McCain shows signs of faltering.

Emphasis mine.

I Watched The Ball Game

It appears that Sen. Obama defeated McLiar in tonight's debate.

Fifty-three percent of the uncommitted voters surveyed identified Democratic nominee Barack Obama as the winner of tonight's debate. Twenty-two percent said Republican rival John McCain won.

Iba Ndiaye, R.I.P.

Obit here. Mr. Ndiaye lived in Paris, France, for many years. He loved jazz. Here is a painting of his.

Well, That Didn't Seem To Work Georgie Bu$hCo

After a fall like today's, I sure don't have any confidence in the people who created this economic disaster. Yep, the same people who have fucked over the coldH2O's meager retirement fund have been put in charge of getting us out of the trouble.

At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 733.08 points, or 7.8 percent, erasing most of Monday’s 936-point gain. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index was down 9.03 percent. The technology-heavy Nasdaq was down 8.4 percent, after the chip maker Intel reported a profit for the quarter but noted that sales of chips used in corporate computers were weaker than expected.

My emphasis.

Rout?

Rout?

So, what happens if this rout holds up, and Democrats score a trifecta that includes a 100 seat House majority and 60 seats in the Senate? In the extended entry, I take a look at the macro political ramifications of such a massive Democratic rout.

Rout? Rout? Rout?*

*noun

1. a disorderly crowd; noisy mob; rabble
2. a disorderly flight or retreat, as of defeated troops to be put to rout
3. an overwhelming defeat

transitive verb

1. to put to disorderly flight
2. to defeat overwhelmingly

My emphasis.

"...the latest New York Times/CBS News poll...."

I like this.

Over all, the poll found that if the election were held today, 53 percent of those determined to be probable voters said that they would vote for Mr. Obama and 39 percent said they would vote for Mr. McCain.

My emphasis.

Here's A Prime Example Of Bu$hCo's True Legacy

Wisco's biggest paper, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, has done a great job with the bisphenal A story. This New York Times editorial points out how corrupt the FDA has become under Mr. Who doesn't like regulation I don't care if a baby croaks it will be good for the economy.

The article reported that Charles Gelman, a retired manufacturer of medical equipment, had made the donation to the University of Michigan’s Risk Science Center, which is co-directed by Martin Philbert, a professor of toxicology. Dr. Philbert sits on the F.D.A.’s Science Board and heads up the board’s subcommittee that will help advise the agency on whether BPA is safe enough to use in food containers. According to the newspaper, Dr. Philbert did not disclose the donation to the F.D.A. When informed of the donation, a high F.D.A. official looked into the matter and said he was satisfied that there was no conflict of interest because Dr. Philbert’s salary was not being paid through the donation. That is an incredibly narrow definition of what might constitute a conflict.

Ya think? Oh, Charles "Perfectly Safe" Gelman has, to say the least, a lousy, criminal past, covered up by a settlement. Hat tip to The Kid over at Lucy & Marigny's place.

McCain NUTS!

Well, maybe that headline ought to read: McCain ACORN! I'm late in posting on McLiar's association with ACORN, but it's good. All the nasty attacks against one of the largest community organizing institutions in America, it seems McLiar hung out with ACORN when, as usual, it suited him.

McCain had no trouble fraternizing with ACORN in 2006 when their political interests coincided with his. Now, his campaign is writing e-mails in his name bashing ACORN as a tool of the Obama machine.

Here's the video. As John A. from Americablog says, about 2 minutes in, McLiar is sucking up to ACORN big time.

Poll, Poll, Everywhere A Poll, Poll

Roses, man, roses.

The latest Washington Post/ABC News survey put Obama at 53 percent to McCain's 43 percent, while the daily Gallup tracking poll showed Obama holding a similar lead of 51 percent to 41 percent on Monday.

Obama's 54 percent to 38 percent lead in Michigan helps to explain why McCain decided to pull down his ads and pull out the majority of his campaign staff from the Wolverine State--

...the Illinois senator led McCain in Wisconsin 54 percent to 37 percent, and held a 51 percent to 40 percent edge in Minnesota.

In Colorado's open seat Senate race, Democratic Rep. Mark Udall holds a commanding 54 percent to 40 percent lead over former Republican Rep. Bob Schaffer. In Minnesota, Sen. Norm Coleman (R) has slipped into a dead heat with his Democratic opponent Al Franken; Franken stands at 38 percent to 36 percent for Coleman and 18 percent for independent candidate Dean Barkley.

Looks like the upper Midwest has done its usual good job, even if there are Norwegians among those polled. My emphasis. That would be my friend Al Franken.

Holy Cow!*

Missouri is looking good.

Obama 51%, McCain 43%, with a ±4.3% margin of error

*Related only tangentially to Holy Joe Lieberman, except this isn't joementum, it's the truth.

I Know It's Tough Out There

But imagine if the Democrats had wonderful margins against the angry Rethugs - remember this?

To make sure people like this don't hijack another election(s), Anne Barth (WV-02 & Elwyn Tinklenberg (I know, but he's running against that poisonous Michele Bachmann), plus more need our support, both physical & financial support. $5.00 really helps, believe it or not. You can donate by going to Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund. Hey, fellow northern Wiscoites, the treasurer of that outfit is a Finn from Superior, WI. I like that.

Health Note For Parents

More vitamin D, please. 400 units to be specific.

How Long, How Long?

Sen Obama After McLiar's Done With Him?

As we all know, words matter. & we also know that the ReThug's Southern Strategy did more to polarize & divide this nation than just about anything since the Civil War & we know what that was all about, even though the scurrilous distraction of the economic argument was pushed as if it were the truth. We also know the John McCain is one of the leading liars from a party known for its liars. McLiar recently said that John Lewis would be one of three wise people he would rely on if elected President. So, when John Lewis, one of the wise troika calls him out, does McLiar take this advice & consider it? Nooooooooooo. Here's what the loony lech says:

"I am saddened that John Lewis, a man I've always admired, would make such a brazen and baseless attack on my character and the character of the thousands of hardworking Americans who come to our events to cheer for the kind of reform that will put America on the right track."

McLiar made one error, he forgot the modifier "white" in front of hardworking Americans. He made up for that oversight with this:

"We're going to spend a lot of time and after I whip his you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out 24/7," McCain told a crowd of volunteers at the campaign's national headquarters in Virginia.

Many so called serious liberals are tacking a disclaimer on their posts that indicate that they don't believe McLiar was suggesting the whipping of a black man is the right thing to do. I actually believe this is the true McLiar speaking & I'll bet that Bozo Palin is angry that the campaign didn't allow her to say it. My emphasis.

Sen. Obama - 53% Sen. McPalin - 43%

It's good to be ahead.

Hard Not To Laugh, Krugman Wins

I'm really going to enjoy this liberal's Nobel Prize. The right-wing nutcases must be really choking on their own thick spit.

Mr. Krugman, 55, a professor at Princeton University in New Jersey and a columnist for The New York Times, formulated a new theory to answer questions about free trade, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

“What are the effects of free trade and globalization? What are the driving forces behind worldwide urbanization? Paul Krugman has formulated a new theory to answer these questions,” the academy said in its citation.

“He has thereby integrated the previously disparate research fields of international trade and economic geography,” it said.

I am happy, but damn, one more prize just out of my grasp.

I Have Always Liked Seve

So, good luck with the brain tumor.

Good Refs

Finally, a non-cheating crew of NFL refs.

Packers 27, Seahawks 17

It's A Rainy, Humid, Warm Morning, But There Is Some Good (Great?) News To Share

Via McClatchy, we have the following.

Florida:

For the first time in more than a decade, Florida Republicans are considering the almost unthinkable: Their presidential nominee could lose the state.

Let's hope Palin/McLiar continue this winning stategy.

Palin's remarks about Obama provoked boos and at least one cry of "Killer" from the audience. The barrage came one day after McCain sought to quell rising anger among his supporters towards Obama at campaign events.

& here's the map.

My emphasis.

Michael Gableman Is A Crook, IMHO

Gableman's bogus election to Wisconsin's Supreme Court is one reason why people have little faith in elections. Gableman lied & smeared his way into the top court in the state. I hope he gets convicted & thrown in jail where he belongs. & where was Sean Duffy, our present DA? He was the assistant DA back when Gableman was making the illegal calls from Ashland. Yeah, IOKIYAR.

Starting To Look Like A Loser

After suffering a humiliating 48-7 home loss to sixth-ranked Penn State on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 81,524, the University of Wisconsin is three games out of first place, behind eight teams in standings and looking like a team in disarray.

I wonder if we'll be able to pin this one on the refs?

Sometimes Death Ought To Be Proud

This death means there is a little less hate & racism in the world.

I Like Watching This From Nowheresville, Wisco

Bu$hCo changes his economic direction.

Two weeks after persuading Congress to let it spend $700 billion to buy distressed securities tied to mortgages, the Bush administration has put that idea aside in favor of a new approach that would have the government inject capital directly into the nation’s banks — in effect, partially nationalizing the industry.

As recently as Sept. 23, senior officials had publicly derided proposals by Democrats to have the government take ownership stakes in banks.

The Treasury Department’s surprising turnaround on the issue of buying stock in banks, which has now become its primary focus, has raised questions about whether the administration squandered valuable time in trying to sell Congress on a plan that officials had failed to think through in advance.

My emphasis.

Pics For Previous Post

I Hope This Gets Repeated Over & Over...

...until it is commonplace. I am heartened & proud of you wonderful 1st graders. Truly sweet. Let's hope the haters in CA don't fuck this up.

The 18 Creative Arts Charter School students took a Muni bus and walked a block at noon to toss rose petals and blow bubbles on their just-married teacher Erin Carder and her wife Kerri McCoy, giggling and squealing as they mobbed their teacher with hugs.

For anyone who knows 1st graders & the joy they exhibit & can not contain, this is as teachable as it gets.

UPDATE: For pics see post above.

About Effing Time

The American Psychological Association (APA) has finally approved the banning of any of its members from being part of interogations in Gitmo, Iraq, Afghanistan, & any & all of the CIA's illegal prisons around the world. Almost 60% of the membership voted for the measure. This vote drew more people than any in the APA's history. I hope those members that did participate in these immoral/illegal activities are kicked out & rot is some special place.

APA officials initially suggested they would delay implementing the referendum for up to a year. But in a surprise move, APA president Alan Kazdin recently wrote President Bush to inform him of the decision.

AMY GOODMAN: The letter says: “The effect of this new policy is to prohibit psychologists from any involvement in interrogations or any other operational procedures at detention sites that are in violation of the U.S. Constitution or international law…In such unlawful detention settings, persons are deprived of basic human rights and legal protections, including the right to independent judicial review of their detention…There have been many reports, from credible sources, of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of detainees during your term in office. Therefore, the American Psychological Association strongly calls on you and your administration to safeguard the physical and psychological welfare and human rights of individuals incarcerated by the U.S. government in such detention centers and to investigate their treatment to ensure that the highest ethical standards are being upheld.”

John Lewis Speaks The Truth

Sen. Obama better repudiate this man. McLiar/Palin have campaigned using hate & fear as if they were policy differences. These two people are evil & deserves what John Lewis has to say about them.

"As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign," Lewis said in a statement. "Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse."
....

"During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who were simply trying to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed on Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama," said Lewis.

McLiar, of course, called upon Sen. Obama to repudiate John Lewis. I sure hope that he does not humiliate John Lewis. I hope that he states his support & solidarity with Mr. Lewis. I sure hope Sen. Obama resists the fear & hate that are the hallmarks of McLiar/Palin.

Lake Superior Protected

I haven't read the complete compact, but what I have read of The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Compact, I like. Even an idiot clock like Bu$hCo can be right occasionally. Read more here. Given that I live just south of the Big Lake, it's a good thing.

Oh Boy, Johnny McLiar

When one of your own turns against you, you're in even deeper moose shit. I, for one, am very happy that you have decided to be the slime you've always been. Maybe now the American people will see what drives the ReThuglican Party - fear, hatred, & slime.

Republican consultant Michelle Laxalt was particularly critical of McCain's decision to employ Palin as an attack dog.

"They have sent this young, naive -- very confident, perhaps in Alaska -- young woman out with the most incendiary talking points, the most dangerous racist talking points and I think they should be ashamed of themselves," Laxalt told CNN's Larry King Thursday night.

My emphasis.

I Know It's Tough Out There, But...

If any of my loyal four readers has $5 burning a hole in their jeans, think about donating it to Kay Hagan. She's doing great against the incumbent, Sen. Dole, the female Sen. Dole. Dole has spent so little time in her "home" state that even her supporters admit she's pretty much an absentee senator. Kay Hagan is up by 9% in North Carolina, that's sweet. Your five bucks might help us to 60 seats in the Senate, a number that not only ensures that the ReThugs can continue to filibuster & we can keep Sen. (Pres.) Obama from becoming too post-partisan, if you know what I mean. Thanks in advance, y'all. Here's a pick of Kay Hagan:

The ReThug Party Has It In For ACORN

It seems like the ReThugs have found their new evil empire &, drum roll, it's ACORN, an organization of low & moderate income folks who have banded together to make sure their voices are heard. So, according to the wingnuts of the ReThug Party, 400,000 poor & moderate income people are the most dangerous group in America. This shows how awful America has become in the last 40 years. I'm sick & disheartened, I know I've said it before, but it's become a theme in my daily life & I'm not sure what to do. We will vote out the bastards in a couple of weeks, but they have literally bankrupted the country so there will only be small resources to help bring us, as a country, back on track. That's why this economic meltdown doesn't surprise me, Bu$hCo wanted this to happen.

A new class warfare front has opened in the campaign for president as Republicans mount an assault on the integrity of the nation's largest community organizing group and try to link it to Democrat Barack Obama, himself a former organizer for a different group.

Notice how the reporter subtly agrees with the ReThugs when he says they are trying "to link it to Democrat Barack Obama." Since ACORN is "one of the nation's largest community organizing group[s]", that means to me that ACORN is doing something right so why wouldn't Sen. Obama want to be linked to it? Jesus Christ on French Toast.

Bob Herbert Is Correct

I'd like to put the complete op-ed down, but I'll give you the flavor & then you can go read it all.

It’s not just the economy. While the United States has been fighting a useless and irresponsible war in Iraq, Afghanistan — the home base of the terrorists who struck us on 9/11 — has been allowed to fall into a state of chaos. Osama bin Laden is still at large. New Orleans is still on its knees. And so on.

Voting has consequences.
....

When the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the discoverers of the link between chlorofluorocarbons and ozone depletion, Tom DeLay, a Republican who would go on to wield enormous power as majority leader in the House, mocked the award as the “Nobel Appeasement Prize.”

This Is An Idiot

Now, as he spends his last months in office trying to avert a global economic collapse, Mr. Bush has been telling people privately that it’s a good thing he’s in charge.

“He said that if it was going to happen at all, he was glad it was happening under his presidency, because he had a good group of people in D.C. working for him,” Dru Van Steenberg, one of several small-business owners who met with Mr. Bush in San Antonio earlier this week. The president expressed the same sentiment, others said, during a similar private session in Chantilly, Va., the next day.

The NYT.

Oh, & so is this asshole.

The White House declined to discuss Mr. Bush’s private appearances. “This is typical New York Times nonsensical pseudo-analysis,” Tony Fratto, the deputy White House press secretary, said in an e-mail message.

Sarah/John, The Truth Shall Set You Free



Looks like Palin/McLiar are in a pickle, or a real sour time. The Alaskan legislature just released its report. Looking bad, but America, you might just be a little healthier at the moment. Via TPM. Here's the full report that was released today by a 12-0 bipartisan vote(Suck. On. That. Lieberman). I've spent the evening fighting to cut & paste the four findings of the report, but obviously have not succeeded. Let's just say Palin is in deep moose shit. PDF files make me cry. Later, my friends.

Happy Days Are Here Again

AAAAYYYYYYYYY.

Dow
8,124.40
–454.79
–5.30%

More Criminal Behavior From McLiar/Palin/Bu$hCo Ticket?

McLiar's plan to rescue "home ownership" may be illegal. Why doesn't that surprise anyone with a functioning brain?

I'm Sure Rush Is Popping A Few More Vicodins This Morning

He'll be sad that he was, once again, passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Finland's ex-president Martti Ahtisaari received the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to build a lasting peace from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Middle East.

Thanks Ted Thompson, You Idiot

Stories like this ought to have written by a writer from the Milwaukee Journal, the Cap Times, or even The Green Bay Press Gazette. But nooooo, the geniuses known as Thompson & McCarthy decided to show Packer fans just who was in charge. Thanks, idiots. & again, one of the worst parts of this fiasco is the total lack of decency that management has shown toward Favre. This has been a prime example of how capitalism, unregulated by an internal ethical/moral foundation destroys, rather than builds. Frankly, I despair about that ethical/moral foundation ever being shored up, given eight years of destruction by the Bu$hCo/Cheney,the Dick, Assministration. Oh, more good news for 8:59 a.m., 10 October 2008:

Dow
8,380.70
–198.49
–2.31%

Ain't No Sunshine...

...on Wall Street.

What had been a moderately down day ended in a rout, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing down 679 points, or 7.3 percent, leaving it below 9,000 for the first time in five years.

My emphasis.

A Fine Person Of Impeccable Taste Asked About The Nobel Prize

All I can relate is that the damn Swedes passed me over again. Looks like I'll need to look somewhere else to get the cash to pay this month's mortgage. That South Milwaukee gig is looking better all the time. Back to the B.S. on the Baltic, this is the guy that got the money:

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio

French author Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio has won this year's Nobel Prize for Literature, the Nobel Foundation announced Thursday.

The committee said Le Clezio was an "author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization."

Le Clezio has written some 30 books including novels, essays, and short stories. Critics have found him hard to define, with his writing and subject matter having changed considerably over time, according to an article in Label France, a magazine published by the French government.

His work reflects ecological concerns, rebellion against the intolerance of Western nationalist thought, and his fascination with Native Americans, according to the magazine.

& here's an example of his work:

Leaving Port-Man at dawn, the Sette Fratelli was stopped by the head customs inspector. The sea was calm and smooth in the wake of the storm. The ship's motor had been repaired, and we were sailing toward the open sea. I was on the deck with some of the children, watching the water open up before us when suddenly, the inspector appeared as if out of nowhere. The captain pretended not to understand, and the Sette Fratelli continued on its path as their speedboat approached. The officials began to shout into their loudspeaker. There was no escape.

I watched the inspector draw closer. I could not detach my stare from the uniformed men. The Italian sailors stopped the motor and lowered the sails. Then, on orders from the inspector, the boat turned back toward the coast. We were no longer going to Jerusalem-we were going to Toulon, where we would all be put in prison.

In the hold, no one said a word. The men sat perfectly still, like ghosts. Most of the children were still sleeping, their heads resting in their mothers' laps. The others descended from the deck, their hair disheveled by the wind. In a corner of the hold, near the luggage, the lamp had been extinguished.

* * *

Two days later, Esther and Elizabeth were in the flatbed of a covered pick-up truck headed for Jerusalem. The convoy, made up of six trucks and one American jeep, advanced slowly along the worn road, across the arid hills to the east of Ramallah. Jacques Berger was with the armed men in one of the two leading trucks. The other four trucks were transporting women and children. When she pushed aside the tarp, Esther saw only dust and the headlights of the truck behind them. The wind was cold and the sky was an unwavering blue. War was there, all around them-the news reported that Jewish farmers had been murdered in Ataroth. In Tel Aviv, before their departure, Jacques had translated General Shealtiel's declaration for Esther: "The enemy now turns to Jerusalem, eternal city of our people. It will be a savage battle, without mercy, without retreat. Our destiny is either victory or extermination. We will fight until the last man is standing, for our survival and for our capital." The Arab army, commanded by John Bagot Glubb and King Abdallah, had bombed the road from Tel Aviv to Haifa. The Egyptians had crossed the border, and were marching to rejoin troops on the west bank of the Dead Sea.

Nevertheless, no one in the trucks was afraid. They were still enchanted with the proclamation of Israel, the dance through the streets, the songs, and the gentle night on the beach.

People were saying, now that the British are gone, everything will work out. Others said that the war was only beginning, that it would be the Third World War. But Elizabeth did not want to hear that. She too felt enchantment and joy now that the end of the voyage was in sight. The life had returned to her eyes. She spoke and even laughed, as she had not done for some time. Esther studied her face, framed by the black shawl, and still found her mother young and beautiful.

During all the hours waiting, Elizabeth talked about Jerusalem, the temples and mosques, the shining domes, the gardens and fountains. She spoke as if she had already seen it-and maybe she had, in a dream. She said the city was the most beautiful place in the world, a place where every desire was fulfilled, where there could not be war because everyone who had been chased and oppressed in the world, everyone who had wandered without a homeland, was meant to live there in peace.

The caravan of trucks entered a forest of pines and cedars, pierced by rays of light. They stopped at Latrun, and the soldiers and immigrants paused to rest. There was a fountain and a basin where a tranquil stream flowed. The women washed dust from their faces and arms, and Esther drank the cold water from her cupped palms. There were bees hovering in the air. The streets of the village were deserted and silent. They could hear the growling of a storm far off in the mountains.

While the women and children drank, the men stood at the entrance to the road, clutching their guns. The silence was strangely menacing. Esther remembered the day she and Elizabeth had come to the square in Saint-Martin, where everyone had gathered to set off-the old men in cloaks, the women's faces bound with shawls, the naive children running about, and this same silence. Only a distant growling, an approaching storm.

The convoy resumed its voyage. Further on, the road crossed a narrow, rocky path, where it was already growing dark. The trucks slowed. Esther pulled back the tarp and saw a line of refugees approaching. A woman leaned over to her and said only, "Arabs." They were walking along the edge of the road, filing past the truck one by one. There were about a hundred, maybe more, only women and young children. Dressed in rags, with their feet bare and their heads wrapped in scraps of cloth, the women turned their heads as they passed through the cloud of dust. Some carried bundles on their heads, others held suitcases and cartons bound with rope. One even had an old, beaten pushcart loaded with motley items. The trucks stopped and the refugees advanced slowly, turning away as they passed, their faces bearing an absent stare. There was a heavy, deadly silence weighing on their faces, which looked to Esther like a mask of dust and stone. Only the children looked at her, fear radiating from their eyes.

Esther climbed down from the truck and approached them, trying to communicate. The women turned their backs to her and some shouted harsh words in their language. Suddenly, a young girl emerged from the group. She walked toward Esther. Her face was pale and worn with exhaustion, her dress covered with dust. Esther saw that the straps of her sandals were broken. The girl approached until they were close enough to touch. Her eyes glowed with a strange radiance, but she did not speak. She reached out and set her hand on Esther's arm, as if she wanted to tell her something. Then the girl took a blank notebook from her pocket and opened the cardboard cover to the first page. In the upper right-hand corner, she wrote her name in capital letters: NEJMA. She held the notebook and pencil out to Esther for her to mark her name as well. She stood a moment longer, holding the black book to her chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world, and then, without saying a word, turned back to the group and disappeared. Esther hesitantly stepped forward to call her back, but it was too late. She climbed back into the truck and the convoy set off, raising a thick cloud of dust. But Esther could not erase Nejma from her mind-that stare, that hand set so gently against her arm, the longing in her gestures as she held the notebook out. She could not forget the women, their blank faces, and the frightened eyes of the children, the silence weighing on the earth and in the shadows. "Where are they going?" Esther asked Elizabeth. The woman beside her said nothing. Esther repeated, "Where are they going?" She shrugged her shoulders, as if she did not understand. Another woman, dressed in black, responded, "To Iraq." She spoke harshly, and Esther was afraid to ask more. The dust on the road made a yellow halo around the truck. Elizabeth held Esther's hand in hers. The woman turned back to Esther, as if trying to read her thoughts, and said, "They're not innocent, those are the mothers and wives of those who are trying to kill us." Esther asked, "What about the children?" Those fear-widened eyes had been etched on her spirit, and she knew that nothing could erase their stare.

That night, the convoy reached Jerusalem. The trucks stopped in a large square. There were no soldiers or police officers, only women and children waiting close to the trucks. The sun had set, but the city still glowed. Esther and Elizabeth climbed down from the truck with their luggage. They did not know where to go. Jacques Berger had already left with the other men to go to the center of the city. The rumbling of shells was near, the ground shook with each explosion. Esther and Elizabeth stood in front of the city wall, looking toward the hillsides covered with houses, the silhouettes of mosques and temples. In the copper sky, a column of black smoke rose and swelled, forming a cloud that spread over the night.




Originally published in French by Gallimard (Folio), 1994. To be published in English as Wandering Star by Curbstone Press in 2005 in a translation by C. Dickson. Printed with permission of Curbstone Press.

Amur Leopard Time

Here are some very rare pics of an Amur leopard at a livestock kill. There are only about thirty of these great animals left on this planet, so this is a treat.

3 Charts

Read 'em & weep (even for Argentina if you want), none of them are any good. Thanks again Bu$hCo, your legacy grows in pain & despair. From McClatchy, of course.

Yep

Risk is only for suckers, fools, not for the rich.

"We were just talking about that this morning on the floor," said Congressman Edwin Castro, who heads the leftist Sandinista congressional bloc in Nicaragua. "We think the Bush administration should follow the same policies that they and the International Monetary Fund have always told us to follow when we have economic problems — a structural adjustment that requires cutting government spending and reducing the role of government.

"One of our economists was telling us that Bush has just implemented communism for the rich," Castro said.
...
"The biggest nationalization in the world was of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The biggest nationalization of an insurer was AIG. People are saying that Bush is privatizing risk and socializing losses," Weisbrodt said.
...
"They have abandoned every policy that they've advocated that other governments should follow over the past 20 years," Ross said by telephone from London. "And they've adopted the measures that they've condemned other governments for taking.

"This is not the end of capitalism. But it is the end of Reaganism and Thatcherism," he added.

We can only hope about that last sentence. That would be a good thing, though.

McLiar Slipping Us Some Truth About His Adminstration?

Or maybe he is, frankly, losing it.

"Across this country, this is the agenda I have set before my fellow prisoners and the same standards of clarity and candor must now be applied to my opponent."

Reminder, With Update

* * * * * * *

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.

* * * * ** *

UPDATE: More from TPM.

A U.S. military officer warned Pentagon officials that an American detainee was being driven nearly insane by months of punishing isolation and sensory deprivation in a U.S. military brig, according to documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union and provided to The Associated Press.

Bu$hCo's Legacy

Worse than yesterday. & tomorrow?

The magnitude of the stock market's plunge is reflected in the Dow's grim stats:

- Tuesday's close was its lowest close in five years, since Sept. 30, 2003.

- In just five trading days this month, and in the fourth quarter, it is down about 1,400 points, or 13 percent.

- It has fallen 33.3 percent since its record close of 14,164.53, a year ago Thursday.

- Through Tuesday, it suffered its largest five-day point decline ever, and its largest five-day percentage drop since the Sept. 11,  2001, terror attacks.

Department Of Things Are Bad All Over

I hope others laugh, as well.

On Sept. 30, a University of Connecticut poll showed Republican Sean Sullivan trailing Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney by 27 percentage points. Then Sullivan's spokesman Andrew Powaleny told reporters the campaign believed it could win in November and questioned the poll's sampling size.

But on the networking site Twitter, Powaleny posted a message to a friend about the poll that said, ''Told you it was a lost cause.''

He also told the friend he would e-mail the statement he gave the media explaining the numbers.

''You'll laugh,'' Powaleny said.

Looking Back, I Guess This Is About Right

I think I like this song by Rodney Crowell. What about you? Via Adrastos.

Howl

I am reminded by bluegal at Crooks & Liars. about what an important day today is. Allen Ginsberg read his great poem, Howl, publicly for the first time. That was a great thing for all of us. Here are a few lines from the beginning of he poem.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn
looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly
connection to the starry dynamo in the machin-
ery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat
up smoking in the supernatural darkness of
cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities
contemplating jazz,

angelheaded hipsters...contemplating jazz is so right, indeed.

Polls

They are all good, as long as you are ahead.

That 8-point lead is double the 4-point lead Obama held in the last CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, taken in mid-September.

& ahead.

Yet another poll is showing Barack Obama ahead in North Carolina, a state that hasn't voted Democratic since Jimmy Carter was the South's favorite son in 1976.

The new numbers from Public Policy Polling (D): Obama 50%, McCain 44%, with a ±2.8% margin of error. A week ago, PPP had Obama up 47%-45%, a lead that appears to be increasing.

Come on, Gov. Palin, more negative, untrue campaignin' there. It's doin' wonders for us there.

UPDATE:

& ahead.

...in Virginia, Democrat Barack Obama is ahead 53% to 43%, according to this SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, WJLA-TV in Washington DC, WTVR-TV in Richmond, and WJHL-TV in the Tri-Cities.

Why Hate Lives

McLiar/Palin keep it alive. Sick, just sick. & they are the two mavericks, bound for honest glory.

No Surprise Here

Why is everyone so surprised when the facts clearly point to what has been happening for a long time.

Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli says this type of lapse in leadership dates to the 1980s when companies began to focus on aligning executive incentives with shareholder interests. He believes an excessive focus on individual financial goals, at the expense of managing in the best interests of the company overall, is at the root of the leadership debacle that has rocked the financial services sector.

Obviously, my emphasis of some obvious points.

Not Good

While I have spent the day so far keeping a bunch to great teenagers heading in more-or-less the same direction, the stock market has gone only one direction, DOWN. The S&P is truly tanking.

At 12:30 this afternoon, the Standard & Poor 500-stock index was trading around 1,042. That left it 46 percent below its inflation-adjusted high, which it hit in the summer of 2000. If shares keep falling and the index hits 967, it will be a remarkable 50 percent below its peak. That has happened only two other times since 1929 — during the Great Depression and during the 1970s.

Why Bother?

I had written a great, great post, with links to three different Wisco newspapers. I had extremely witty comments that were, of course, central to my point. I had three musical videos to go with the three links to the papers, a combination never before done with such intelligence & care. Then, the laptop turned off. This I blame on the cat, the cat that the The Twins & I had spent the whole morning putting together a wonderful play toy, a big, wonderful play toy, actually the cat can go inside this thing & also lounge around on two elevated mesh patios, the cat who came to visit me & stepped on the on/off bar. Anyway, this has gone on long enough, the stooopid Badgers lost, the stooopid Brewers lost, & the completely stooopid Green Bay Packers lost. O, effing woe is me.

Well, They Say Consistency Is A Good Thing

I'm sure that simple-minded platitude won't be helping Cub's fans. One word:

Swept.

My Friend Al

Great news out of Minnesota -

...shows Franken leading Coleman 43 to 34 percent.

This almost made me forget the story I just read in the WaPo. It's apparently going to get filthy thanks to the McLiar campaign. Just what I need & what the country needs. Maybe they ought to look at this poll - the people of MN just told Coleman(R-Asshat) to suck on his negative ads. McLiar's a POW so I'm sure this won't apply to him. I love how McLiar is going to get "fiercer" - huh? If you read the piece you'll see that the son-of-a-bitch isn't getting "fiercer" he's getting slimier & more shit encrusted.

I realize that this is McLiar's left hand, the one injured while he was a POW, POW, POW. Notice, however, that his being a POW, POW, POW, was not helpful at the de-sliming facility.

Again, I realize that McLiar is old, but a POW, POW, POW, still, I didn't realize his shit is fossilized. Who knew?

Note To U.S. Military

No one believes you anymore. Isn't this like the 7,000th mastermind you guys have killed this month?  Of course, the person pictured doesn't matter anymore, right?  Yeah, he's police business.

Ralph Stanley Cuts A Radio Ad In Virginia For Sen. Obama

Yes, this Ralph Stanley. I love this song, but hope it's not what he cut for Sen. Obama. It's a bit bleak, I guess.

Actually, I posted this song because the flunk out seeing eye dog, Rocky, is no more. He was raised by Mrs. coldH2o & The Kid. The Kid was in high school when we got the Lab, the Knob, the Rockhead, the Rockstar, the Labrador Repeater (shamelessly stolen from my friend Dave G.) & now the Darling Daughter is 30 & the mother of The Twins. He lived a long life & even though after we got him back from the school, I did everything for him, including talking to him, he was completely attached to the two women. He'd hear the wife's car turn into the driveway an eighth of a mile away & be all excited hopping to the door. I'd get home, come in the house, turn on the teevee & he'd still be sleeping. It's a sad day around these parts today. Here are some pics of Rocky, with other pets & The Kid & a Baby. These are relatively recent photos. I'll be rummaging around the BillyCreek archives in the next, oh well, several years & will be posting pics of the old man. I wasn't able to say a tear filled goodbye since I screwed up the dates, I thought tomorrow was the day. Oh well, at least I didn't break down in front of the 9th grade social studies students today. Small reward, but at least a reward.

Privacy & Palin, Oops, One More Time

Take a look at this post by dday over at Hullabaloo. It appears Palin has undercut a lot of years of fundie talk concerning privacy & Roe v. Wade. This is getting really funny, particularly since Sen. Obama appears to be opening up historic numbers for this late in a presidential campaign.

"In the last 20 days, Sen. Barack Obama has gone from seven points down to eight points up in Florida, while widening his leads to eight points in Ohio and 15 points in Pennsylvania."

McPalin Doesn't Give A Crow's Crap For Veterans

Via Crooks & Liars we are directed to Brandon Friedman at Vet Voice. The title of Mr. Friedman's post is telling:

McCain's Miserable Record of Not Supporting America's Troops and Veterans

He has done a ton of research that documents McLiar's distate for supporting the veterans of this country. It's too bad that the McLiar campaign just says something & bingo, it's the truth. Or they deny something & bingo, it's the truth. It's truly disheartening to see this sort of behavior in America in the 21st century. My only solace is that it is the ReThuglican Party. Brandon Friedman's list is a long one, but it would be good for you to print it out so you can present to the wingnuts, not only in your family, but in your neighborhood as well. Here's just one:

McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans' Health Care. Although McCain told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans' health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against increasing funding for veterans' health care in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt. 3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)

More Lies From Palin

Another day, another lie from Palin. Do these people ever get embarrassed? I know, stoooopid question.

In an interview last week with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, Palin suggested that her contact was more than just awareness of Russia's nearness. When Couric asked Palin if she'd "ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians," the governor replied, "We have trade missions back and forth."

But Steve Smirnoff, the Russian Federation's honorary consul in Anchorage, said Palin never accepted his invitation to open a dialogue with Alaska's neighbor.

When Palin took office in December 2006, Smirnoff says, he sent her a letter suggesting "she could be instrumental in reviving relationships between Alaska and Russia, and the rest of the world."

Smirnoff said he'd met Palin years before, when they both worked on then-Gov. Frank Murkowski's campaign. Smirnoff had hoped for some rapport, but "I never received a response," he said. "I don't know if it was taken to heart or thrown in the trash basket."

Hayden Carruth, R.I.P.

He was 87 years old. Obit here. Here's a poem written by Hayden Carruth:

Goes

Old guy goes downstairs reeling
and shying at newel and banister
while how his feet once blistered
the treads is what he is recalling,

for the young know how to balance.
Christ help all who wobble,
stagger, trip, step double,
and are their own hindrance,

oh help them. The day is fine out,
bright cold, the blood tingles,
in the yard laughter jangles.
It's a great day to fall on your sinciput*

blonk!--and the world is dipping,
breath is thin, vision blurred,
what no one says is what you heard.
Look at the bright blood dripping.

To help my four readers out with that word, actually, I had no idea it had anything to do with the head, even within the context of the poem, although now that I know what it is, it's perfectly clear to me now, here is the definition.

*sinciput

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

sin·ci·put /ˈsɪnsəˌpʌt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sin-suh-puht] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun, plural sin·ci·puts, sin·cip·i·ta /sɪnˈsɪpɪtə/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sin-sip-i-tuh] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation. Anatomy.
1. the forepart of the skull.
2. the upper part of the skull.
[Origin: 1570–80; < L: lit., half-head < *sém(i)-caput, equiv. to sémi- semi- + caput head]