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Friday, October 20, 2006
HomecomingIf you can get through this story with dry eyes, you're tougher than I.
Lieberman Pounding LamontWell, looks like there will be no joy in kookville, mighty Neddy has struck out. Sen. Joe Lieberman has increased his lead over Democratic challenger Ned Lamont to 17 percentage points, according to the first Quinnipiac University poll taken since the two faced off in a debate earlier this week.
Lieberman, who is running as an independent after losing the Aug. 8 Democratic primary to Lamont, leads the Greenwich businessman 52 percent to 35 percent among likely voters in the poll released Friday. Republican Alan Schlesinger trailed with 6 percent and 7 percent were undecided.Predictably the dogs by the fire at the lake are petulant. All I want to know is this — Democratic leaders like Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer may make pale endorsements of Lamont as the Democratic candidate, but they don't have the stones to say that Joe Lieberman is not running as a Democrat and that his actions are bad for the party and he hurts Democratic chances to take both the House and the Senate in the fall. The CW on this one seems to be they don't want to piss off Joe and drive him into the arms of the Republicans, so they take him at his word that he will caucus with them if they just STFU.Christy Hardin Smith seems to feel this will be a bad day for Lieberman: The Lamont campaign rolled out its latest ad — starring Connecticut's senior Senator Christopher Dodd. Something tells me that Turncoat Joe is going to be a little more petulant than usual today.
This is just the first of many things going on between now and election day. DNC Chairman Howard Dean will be campaigning with Ned at a rally in Hartford today at noon — if you are in Connecticut, it should be a great event from everything I'm hearing — so take your lunch hour with Ned and Howard Dean!
If you aren't happy with what you are hearing about poll numbers or establishment Democratic support for the Connecticut Senate race, well, here's the solution: get up off your butt and do something about it – you can volunteer for Ned's campaign, for canvassing, or calling, or whatever, by checking here.The Kossacks are still convinced that Lamont is going to win: I'm optimistic because the energy in Connecticut is palpable, more so than what Lieberman's mercenary ground team can muster. I'm optimistic because we haven't seen or heard the last of Schlesinger. And I'm optimistic because I believe in people-power. It ousted one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress in a primary. It helped Tester win a crushing primary victory in Montana despite being tied in the polls on election eve. And it helped Jim Webb win his Virginia primary despite not running a single television ad.
This is the year we're turning the political world upside down. And Lieberman is destined to be a casualty. Matt Stoller, My DD's incredible 12-year-old blogger, remains upbeat: And then there's Schlesinger. It's too bad there are only three debates, but he's starting to get air time on local news and he's being quoted in news articles. It's unlikely he'll stay at 6 percent, since there is a hardcore Republican fringe that hates immigration and Social Security as much as he does and will vote their hearts on election day.Irony of ironies, it appears that the liberal bloggers are pulling for the Republican and the conservative bloggers are pulling for the Independent.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Impeachment WatchIt's ironic, but all the talk of impeachment died down once it became apparent that the Democrats might take back the House and the Senate. However, in case you've forgotten, this was quite a popular topic six months to a year ago, and Rocco DiPippo hasn't forgotten. Impeachment plans began seriously coalescing in 2005, after the NY Times published classified aspects of the NSA surveillance program. In mid- December of that year, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA, asked a group of presidential scholars whether President George W. Bush had committed an impeachable offense when he authorized the NSA foreign surveillance program. John Dean, the long-time Bush critic of Watergate fame provided Boxer with the answer she and most other Democrats were looking for: “Bush is the first president to admit an impeachable offense,” he said.
Around the same time, Senator John Kerry, D-MA, told a gathering of 100 Democrats that, should they capture the House in 2006, there would be a “solid case” for impeachment based on President Bush's “misleading” the American public over prewar intelligence. Kerry was picking up where another prominent Democrat had, on November 1, 2005, left off. On that day, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid called a rare closed Senate session with other Democrats to look into the “misinformation and disinformation” used by the Bush administration to justify Operation Iraqi Freedom.The obvious conclusion is that the Democrats are soft-peddling the imay-eachment-pay talk until after November, but you know that the Kos Kidz and others are not going to keep quiet for long if the Donks do take control of the necessary committees.
Not Generous? Moi?That's how Jean Fraude Kerry would probably respond to this article on his frugality in funding other Democrats this year. "He's still hanging on to $8,352,685 of our money, while Democratic candidates in competitive districts are short on funds," the Web site says. After the 2004 election, many Democrats questioned why Kerry didn't spend all his campaign money trying to unseat President Bush and help other Democrats. Speaking of Kerry, here's a Kerry Halloween song written in 2004 by Dr BLT.
A Brainwashed BuffoonSome people may not realize it, but the term "brainwashed" comes from the Korean War. Some American soldiers were captured by the North Vietnamese, and after watching a steady diet of anti-American propaganda, were filmed making statements in support of Communism and North Korea. Fast forward 50 years, and one of those brainwashed soldiers is still spouting communist propaganda: The last known American defector to North Korea says in a new documentary that he feels at home in the North.Hey, all the grass you can eat sounds mighty tempting!
Flatgirl Opens in New YorkErrr, that is, the internationally-acclaimed play, My Name is Rachel Corrie. Kesher Talk was there, handing out some very poignant flyers. The thing that I find interesting is that they were paying attention to what worked with the audience for the play: A few people (who appeared to be sympathetic to Rachel, perhaps biased against Israel) asked "what side are you on"...to which we replied " the side of peace...and there is no question that Rachel wanted peace...". This response was well recieved and these skeptics took our literature.
Several people said " so you don't think people should see this play"....we replied "to the contrary" it's important to hear all points of view this is a complicated story, we just encourage you to have more facts in front of you"....Ticket-holders responded well to this response, too, taking the info.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
NFL Season So FarThe two undefeated teams are Chicago and Indianapolis. Coming into Monday Night Football, everybody pretty much thought Chicago was showing every sign of being an elite team. But the Cardinals made their offense look less than ordinary, and even the defense, despite the two amazing fumble recoveries for TD, still allowed a rookie quarterback to drive confidently upfield for a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter. Indianapolis, of course, is battling their own past. Nobody's going to get excited about the Colts right now because they have been here before; in the last three years they have won 12, 12, and 14 games in the regular season. There's not much doubt they're going to the playoffs; there's just considerable doubt they can win once they make it. So who's out there to get excited over? San Diego looks pretty good, but they've beaten the doormats to get that gaudy record--Oakland, San Francisco, and Tennessee. They're 1-1 against real teams, beating the Steelers and losing to the Ravens. New England? An impressive win at Cincinnati, a good win over the Jets at the Meadowlands, a bad loss to Denver at home and two very unimpressive wins over the Bills and Miami at the Blade. The Saints are winning, but they're winning close games at home against tough competition and easy games on the road against creampuffs like Cleveland and Green Bay. So it looks wide open at this point. There's no one team that has put the hammer down and established beyond doubt they're going all the way. MVP: Donovan McNabb. Rookie of the Year: Matt Leinart. This kid is the real deal; I'm not sure even the Cardinals can screw this up.
Media Mutters Tries to Slime HastertHoping desperately to distract attention from Searchlight Harry Reid's land deal, they try to make an absurd comparison to a transaction involving Dennis Hastert: Hastert's property appreciated in value after he earmarked taxpayer funding for a highway near the property -- but only two CNN transcripts contain any mention of Hastert's land deal, for a total word count that is one-fiftieth the number of words CNN has devoted to the Reid story. And 65 words is an extremely generous count -- it includes a vague reference made in passing by Democratic strategist and pundit James Carville.They do a silly side-by-side comparison showing that Hastert is more senior, that his party is in power (like that has anything to do with it), and that Hastert made more money on his deal. Here's the article that Media Mutters cites. What did they forget to put in their comparison chart? Annual congressional disclosure statements were released Wednesday, and specific information detailing the transactions was reflected in Hastert's filing only to a limited degree, which is about all that is required.Filed required disclosure statements: Hastert: Yes Reid: No Media Mutters claims that a highway that Hastert got funding for runs "near" his property; that's true, but not as true as it sounds: "None of the properties purchased by the speaker are near enough to be affected by the proposed parkway," he said. Bonjean maintains Hastert's home is 5.5 miles from the Prairie Parkway; the Beacon News puts the development's edge about three miles away.
I Guess My Conditional Endorsement of McCain Hasn't Reassured HimA week or so ago I mentioned that I will endorse Senator John McCain in the event that the Democrats take back both the House and the Senate in the 2006 elections. Apparently that prospect does not sit well with him: McCain spoke at a mid-day news conference in Des Moines, where McCain was asked what his reaction would be to a Democratic take-over of the Senate.
"I think I'd just commit suicide," McCain said, as the Republicans standing beside him burst into laughter. "I don't want to face that eventuality because I don't think it's going to happen...I think it's going to be tough, but I think we'll do o.k." A few moments later McCain turned to Congressman Latham and joked that Latham would probably commit suicide first, as polls suggest control of the House is likely to swing to Democrats in this year's election.
Sleazeball Mike Rogers "Outs" a Gay RepublicanAaron, a gay black Republican himself, calls it the new McCarthyism, which seems about right on the money to me. Rogers is pondscum, engaging in blackmail to try to sway votes for his version of the gay agenda. As Aaron points out, not all gays agree with that agenda.
The New Air America?Here's a report that Nova M Radio, which owns the Air America Phoenix outlet, is expanding its operations. Nova M Radio, Inc. based in Phoenix, Arizona officially announced the formation of its new progressive talk radio network. Debuting on the network will be the long awaited return to the airwaves of America’s original “truth-seeker” Mike Malloy. The Mike Malloy Show will initially broadcast live, from 9PM -12 Midnight (EST) beginning October 30,2006 on Nova M Radio affiliate 1480-AM KPHX Phoenix. Malloy is indeed a truth "seeker"; let us know when he finds some. He's actually one of the more entertaining former Air America stalwarts, if only because he's so completely unhinged. About a year ago, he decided to read the entire text of Orwell's 1984 over the air. But wait, there's more! Also joining our team will be internationally renowned pollster John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International. John will be co-hosting a weekly one hour show, “The Pulse of the Nation” where John polls particular hot button issues from politics and pop culture to the War in Iraq and stem cell research. Each program will include expert guests and audience participation. At the end of each show John will reveal the secret results of the poll and each listener will then know whether or not they have their finger on “The Pulse of the Nation”! Zogby proclaimed "This is very exciting. I will have the chance to share some of the latest polling on what Americans are really thinking about their lives, their needs, the views of government and politics, and how they think things need to be fixed. I know listeners are going to be fascinated by hearing what their peers are thinking".I guess that the notion that Zogby is an independent pollster with no personal interest in the subjects of his polling will finally die a merciful death. It's ironic that one of Zogby's early boosters was none other than Rush Limbaugh. The most interesting thing about this whole endeavor is that, at least judging by the Phoenix station, the new network will be targeting an even thinner slice of the electorate than Air America. AAPhx has been pushing 9-11 Denial fairly heavily in the last few months, which puts them out beyond the Left in cuckoo land. Sheldon Drobny, the money partner, has been pushing 9-11 Denial from his soapbox over at the HuffPo. Dr Mike Newcomb, the brains of the operation, initially expressed skepticism about the "9-11 was an inside job" nonsense, but has apparently come on board thanks to the influence of his producer, Jeff Farias, who's a confirmed 9-11 nutter.
Arizona the Smartest State?Well, smarter than the people who devised rankings making Arizona the dumbest state: Morgan Quitno Press, which compiles state- and city-ranking publications, used a variety of measurements to create their list, including money spent on students, standardized test scores, graduation rates, teacher salaries and teacher/student ratios.However: Horne pointed to the fact that Arizona students outperformed the national average on SAT scores as well as the standardized TerraNova tests.
TerraNova is a national test that compares Arizona students with their peers in reading and math.
"Arizona students perform above the national average on TerraNova, which is the principal measure by which we compare ourselves to other states," Horne said.
Arizona test scores are generally about average, but the state historically ranks at the bottom in terms of money spent per student.Better than average in results, well below average in cost? I'd call that pretty smart. Update: See also Mrs Media Matters, who has the complete list.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Deep In the Heart of TexasThat's where one of Cindy Sheehan's body parts will always be.
Hillary: Not That HillarySeems she's finally 'fessed up that she wasn't named after Sir Edmund, the conquerer of Mount Everest. Of course, we knew that all along: But one big hole has been poked in the story over the years, both in cyberspace and elsewhere: Sir Edmund became famous only after climbing Everest in 1953. Mrs. Clinton, as it happens, was born in 1947.
Monday, October 16, 2006
The Worst Franchise in the History of Sports?The Arizona/Phoenix/St. Louis/Chicago Cardinals by a mile. When they moved to Phoenix in 1988, I had a friend who was determined to support the new team, but I warned him at the time that this was not exactly a team covered in glory. They have now been in the Valley of the Sun for 19 seasons; during that time they've had a winning record once. And prior to that they were pretty sketchy as well. During their entire time in St. Louis they did not win a postseason game. In fact, in 87 years of play, they have accumulated a total of two postseason victories. Only the Houston Texans, who are now in their fifth year as a franchise, have fewer. As you may have gathered, I was thoroughly disgusted by the Cardinals' performance tonight. Ironically, like everybody else, I was expecting them to get hammered by the Bears. And don't get me wrong; there's a lot to be upbeat about. The defense played superbly, allowing only one field goal. Matt Leinart looked like a man with a long and productive future in the NFL. But in the end you have to win the game. The Cardinals managed to lose two games in which their rookie quarterback played superbly, certainly well enough to win. About the only costly mistake Leinart made was on the fumble that resulted in a Bears TD; he should have recognized that nobody was guarding the defensive end on his right and called for a timeout or redirected one of the blockers. Update: John Ruberry sees the Bears as a team of destiny. Maybe. But this game did seem to expose a lot of weakness in their offense, against the Cardinals who are not exactly a punishing defense.
More Info on MonsoorCentCom has released some new details on this hero's death: From Rear Adm. Joe Maguire, USN - Commander Naval Special Warfare Command, "On behalf of the entire Naval Special Warfare community, we mourn the loss of Master at Arms Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor, who died conducting some of our military's most important missions. It's been said that we cannot decide whether we live or die - we know one day we will die - but as people, as men and warriors, we can only decide what we will die for. This Sailor along with our two wounded teammates chose a life of significant meaning -- to defend freedom and protect America and its allies from terrorism. We grieve with and support the family and friends who support our warriors on a daily basis. We hope that in time Michael's family is comforted in knowing that he died fighting for what he believed in and we will not forget his sacrifice."Michael Fumento has also been covering this story: In Vietnam, similar actions resulted in the awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Moonsoor deserves the recognition of the nation's highest honor, as do the SEALs as a whole.
Peace-Loving Student Threatens BushGotta love them dippy teenagers: She posted a picture of the president, scrawled "Kill Bush" across the top and drew a dagger stabbing his outstretched hand. She later replaced her page on the social-networking site after learning in her eighth-grade history class that such threats are a federal offense.
"I wasn't dangerous. I mean, look at what's (stenciled) on my backpack - it's a heart. I'm a very peace-loving person," said Wilson, an honor student who describes herself as politically passionate. "I'm against the war in Iraq. I'm not going to kill the president." Well, if she had a heart on her backpack, then I'm sure it's okay.
Terrorist Supporter to Be Sentenced TodayLynne Stewart, an attorney who helped Sheikh Rahman by relaying messages to his supporters, is scheduled to be sentenced today to as long as 30 years in prison (hope, hope!). Her defense essentially boils down to the Stockholm Syndrome: The psychiatrist, Steven Teich, points to 11 emotional events that he claims prompted her to want to take action on Abdel Rahman's behalf, Stewart's attorneys say. Among the events that make Dr.Teich's list are her experiences seeing Abdel Rahman incarcerated and the 1995 suicide of a drug defendant named Dominick Maldonado, whom Stewart had once represented.
Stewart was convicted in 2005 of providing material support for terrorism for passing on the messages Abdel Rahman gave her and her translator during visits with him in federal prison in Minnesota. Abdel Rahman, the spiritual leader of a terrorist group in Egypt, is serving a life term following his 1995 conviction in a conspiracy to blow up landmarks around New York. Following a conversation with Abdel Rahman in 2000, Stewart called a Reuters reporter in Cairo to say that Abdel Rahman had withdrawn his support from a ceasefire that his terrorist organization, the Islamic Group, was observing in Egypt.
Since being indicted four years ago, Stewart had defended her actions.
"I would do it again— it's the way a lawyer is supposed to behave." Stewart told reporters the day of her conviction, the Washington Post reported. Almost needless to say, she has become a cause celebre for the idiot brigade: Stewart speaks regularly at political rallies across the city and beyond. Yesterday afternoon and well into the evening, dozens of speakers praised Stewart to a mostly graying audience of 500 at Riverside Church. Several members of the Granny Peace Brigade, a group of elderly women whose anti-war acts of civil disobedience have attracted international attention, sang a protest song in Stewart's honor. Rahman is the blind Muslim Cleric whose supporters were responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Most of the bloggers posting about this are in support of a long sentence for Stewart. Blue Crab Boulevard: Regardless of what led to her decisions and actions, she needs to be held accountable for them.Blogmeister USA, talking about the American Al Qaeda spokesman, Adam Gadahn: Watch for leftwing sympathizers and the ACLU to rise to Gadahn's defense. Too bad Lynne Stewart won't be available...she is the most logical choice. Perhaps Ramsey Clark will defend him!Sister Toldjah: Judge Koeltl, show no mercy. I would love to see another Judge William Young-style ruling.Lawhawk: She's been trying to play the leniency card, noting that she's being treated for breast cancer, as though that somehow mitigates the fact that she damaged US national security by violating agreements made with the federal government not to do what she did.Here's one of her few supporters: Rally to accompany Lynne Stewart to Court. Demonstrate your support. You cannot be too “busy” for this historic moment. One to tell your grandchildren about. Crucial to the atmosphere of outraged citizenry we need. Be there for the early rally. Go with Lynne to court. If there’s no room …rally outside the courthouse in the square. We are hoping that this will be Massive and demonstrate the strength of the People!!!
In a case that has echoes of Haymarket, Sacco/Vanzetti, and the Rosenbergs, attorney Lynne Stewart will be sentenced on Monday October 16. Of course, Sacco & Vanzetti were guilty as we learned this year when a letter was unearthed from lefty sob-sister Upton Sinclair acknowledging their guilt. Howie Hawkins, Green Party Candidate for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat: “Lynne Stewart is just the latest in a long line of victims in the war by the Bush administration and a bipartisan Congress to repeal the Bill of Rights and erode civil liberties. Bush has callously used the 9/11 attacks as a pretext to curtail the right to a fair trial, to illegally spy on Americans, and to sanction torture. Here in New York, we have witnessed the recent convictions of Muslim leaders such as Imam Umar and Yassin Aref on trumped up grounds. Even the government has admitted that they want a long prison sentence for Ms. Stewart largely to have a chilling effect on other lawyers, discouraging them from representing controversial clients,” stated Hawkins.Hawkins is a moonbat 9-11 Denier who appears briefly in one of Dylan Avery's vanity videos of the Loose Change crew's trip to New York the weekend before 9-11-06. Update: Stewart gets 28 months, about one-twelfth the maximum sentence.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
The Amazing Race Recap--Driving On the Wrong Side of the RoadTo start off, teams must take a train from Haiphong to Hanoi. The train station turns out to be closed, so this functions as the usual bunching maneuver and all teams get on the same train. Team Coal Miner explains that their hope is for David to get out of coal mining. From Hanoi, they must fly to Chennai, India. We are told that Vietnam does not allow people to buy tickets at the airport; instead they must buy them at a travel agent beforehand. Team Triathletes notes that Teams Cho, Coal Miner and Gump are cooperating and Peter offers to help out the Beauty Queens. One of the Chos pretends to be talking on a fake cellphone to get a plane reservation. The gag appears to backfire as Peter begs a phone call from another passenger on the train and arranges a flight for Team Triathlete and the Beauty Queens. There is much back and forth about planes, but in the end all the teams arrive in Chennai within about 1/2 hour of each other, with Team Coal Miner in last place. From Chennai they take a bus to Mammalapura, where they must visit an arts & crafts building. Team Gump makes an amusing observation; they note that in Vietnam their excess poundage attracted attention, but in India the folks have a little more meat on their bones. Detour: Wild animals or wild rice. Teams must choose between helping to transport a small crocodile or creating a painting with colored powders made of wild rice. As usual, the majority of the teams pick correctly; the crocodile task, while daunting, appears to be much quicker than doing the painting. Only Team Recovery and Team Coal Miner choose the latter chore, and it clearly slows them down. It was especially sad to see Team Coal Miner make this selection as they are in next to last, and are unlikely to make up time on Team Recovery. Now the teams must take a bus back to Chennai. Peter and Sarah, who are in the lead, just miss the bus and must share the ride with the Beauty Queens. It's amusing because this budding alliance seems to be going nowhere as these two teams are only cooperating when it's in their own interests. Of course, Peter doesn't even seem to be in an alliance with Sarah; he's becoming one of the most annoying racers ever. Roadblock: One member of each team must take a driving test and obtain an Indian driving license. Some amusement as the driving instructor has them use a little horn for animals and children. However, there does not seem to be any real difficulty here as everybody makes it through (apparently) on their first try. The Pit Stop is at Chettinad House, a remnant from India's colonial era. Team Triathlete finishes first, followed shortly by the Beauty Queens. Phil asks if they will be the first all-female team to win the Amazing Race. Team Coal Miner arrives last as seemed inevitable from the moment they arrived in India. However Phil has a surprise for them, and us. This is not an elimination leg. Unlike non-elimination legs in previous seasons, they do not lose their money and possessions; instead they must arrive first in the next leg, or suffer a 1/2 hour penalty at the mat. As always, check out Viking Pundit's terrific recap as well.
Feature Article on Rick MoranOur longtime blogging buddy Rick Moran is the subject of a longish feature article in the (Chicago suburban) Daily Herald. Dave Schuler, the Chicago blogger at TheGlitteringEye.com, has been reading Moran's site practically since its inception.
"I think he is one of the fairest and the savviest of the bloggers," said Schuler, who describes himself as a centrist. "He's an analyst. You always learn something when you read one of Rick's posts."Rick's been on my blogroll since the Kerry Haters days; if I'm not mistaken KH was one of the first blogs to link him. I say that not to brag; Rick was headed for the top and it was only a matter of time before he got the attention he deserved. We don't always agree on everything, but I always respect his opinions even when they differ from mine because I know they're carefully thought out.
Tigers In the World Series!Well, they stumbled to the finish line during the regular season, dropping out of the AL Central lead on the last day. They lost the first game of the playoffs and seemed to be on the ropes. Then they won seven in a row, defeating the Yankees and A's to head to their third World Series in my lifetime. They won the other two, in seven games in 1968 (defeating Bob Gibson in the finale), and in five games in 1984. If they go on to win it all, they will surely be remembered as one of the miracle teams of history, right up there with the 1969 Mets, the 1991 Twins and (for those with exceptional memories) the 1914 Boston Braves.
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