Are the wheels coming off?

It seems like every day there is another story about trouble for our troops in either Afghanistan or Iraq.

First there was the story that has been slowly working its way to the surface about Haditha and the alleged massacre there...While that was brewing there was the story about the US Military Convoy in Afghanistan where one of the vehicles had its brakes burn out and ran into a number of civilian cars causing at least one death and almost a score of injuries.....It resulted in a riot where American soldiers ended up firing on the crowd and causing more deaths...The crowds chanted "Death to America".

God only knows how I would react under the stress that our soldiers are placed under every single day so I won't pass judgment on what did or didn't happen over there but I do have that sense that there is something very wrong here.

Several times in my life everything lined up perfectly and pointed me on a path that I was supposed to follow. A chance vacation led to a job that I really wanted and housing suddenly became available when we were told just hours before that there was no housing to be had.

Conversely, there were times when I wanted to do something but there was just one obstacle after another thrown in my way. Sometimes I overcame the obstacles and the trip or event turned out to be a disaster. Other times I succumbed to the obstacles and found that had I taken the trip disaster would have happened. (I planned to charter a plane to Madison but couldn't get ahold of the pilot so I ended up driving to Madison. The NEXT trip that plane took resulted in a fatal accident due to a mechanical failure.)

The point is that sometimes fate tries to tell us something. We have to be sensitive enough to the signs and the "big picture" to understand the signs.

The signs for Bush's endless war are ominous. He should listen to them.

Walk Against Ban on Civil Unions Amendment

On Saturday, June 3, a group will be walking together in the Dairyfest Parade in Marshfield to encourage and educate the public to vote "NO" on the ban on domestic partnerships, civil unions, and marriage bill. We are really hoping for a large number of people to turn out and try to defeat this proposal. We line up at 9:00 a.m. and the parade begins at 11:00. I think the distance we walk is about 15 blocks. For more information, call 715.384.2659.

In rememberence....

Today, I hope all my blog buddies take the time to remember those who lost their lives in service to our country.

...take time to remember those who served, and survived but are no longer with us....

...take time to remember or relatives and friends who also served...

To all who served.

THANK YOU!

Baghdad ER

I managed to catch Baghdad ER on HBO.

It was everything LoLo described.

I think I was struck by the dedication of the medical personnel. As much as I dislike the mere idea that we are at war in Iraq...or whatever it is if it isn't war....I'm glad that there are excellent, dedicated medical personnel there to do what they can for those who are injured or wounded. I shudder to think how many "fewer" servicemen and women would be coming home if it were not for these professionals..

Gorey?

Yes, yes it was. But you know what? I think I've seen as much blood and gore on HBO presented for the purpose of "entertainment". In other words, I think I'm becoming less and less sensitive to the sights that were presented.

In short, I think the documentary reinforced what I have felt from the very beginning of this war.

LOVE THE WARRIOR

HATE THE WAR.

E

Mental Health Day

The "food Nazi" took a rare, rare, rare day off from work today and we decided to spend the day reclaiming our sanity.....we needed it.

We finally ended up walking the trails of the Mead Wildlife Center for the afternoon. It was my first time out there and I'm glad I went. We saw lots of signs of wildlife but didn't actually spot any but we decided that we'll go out there for a photo mission in the near future...maybe even this weekend. I'm not going to wax poetic about "communing with nature or anything of the sort but it was nice to get away from things for a while.

Hope everybody enjoys the Memorial Day Weekend.

e

Dammit!

LoLo posted the other day about the HBO Special Baghdad ER and said how hard it was to watch but important for everybody to do so.....

And now, I get this emailed to me from the City:

EXECUTIVE ORDER # 153
Relating to a Proclamation that the Flag of the United States and the Flag of the State of Wisconsin be Flown at Half-Staff as a Mark of Respect for Specialist Grant Dampier of the United States Army Who Lost His Life During Operation Iraqi Freedom

WHEREAS, on May 15, 2006, Specialist Grant Dampier, a member of 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, United States Army, was killed in action in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Specialist Grant Dampier provided faithful and honorable service to the people of the State of Wisconsin and the people of the United States; and

WHEREAS, the people of Wisconsin mourn the death of Specialist Grant Dampier; and

WHEREAS, a funeral service will be held for Specialist Grant Dampier on Friday, May 26, 2006;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIM DOYLE, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, by the authority vested in me by Federal and State law, do hereby order that the flag of the United States and the flag of the State of Wisconsin shall be flown at half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations of the State of Wisconsin equipped with such flags beginning at sunrise on May 26, 2006, and ending at sunset on that date.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the City of Madison this twenty-fourth day of May, in the year two thousand six.

JIM DOYLE Governor

His obituary says he was born in Wisconsin Rapids.....he lived in Merrill....he had two children...

We've lost another Son of Wisconsin and I don't know why but this one hit me really really hard.

here's the Obit..

http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/DampierGrantAllen/print

We, the proud. We, the few....

Digby has a nice perspective on blogs and blogging....

Glenn thinks that here in our blogospheric bubble it appears that things are changing when they aren't. I have to disagree a bit with that. It's true that the blogospheric bubble often gives the false impression that there is more momentum on our side than there actually is. I suspect that true inside any movement or campaign where you spend most of your time with fellow travellers. But that doesn't mean things aren't changing.

We are now a factor. They may hate us, fear us and dismiss us, but we're here and we aren't going anywhere. (Say it loud, I'm blog and I'm proud!)Rick Perlstein noted in the discussion of "Before The Storm" and the conservative movement last week-end at Firedoglake that history is complicated, it moves like a battleship. Things aren't going to turn around overnight. But we are beginning to affect the way the media sees itself and we are putting political pressure on the party. This is how change is made. We'll ride all their asses like Zorro until they get the message. We're in for the long haul.

All this is at the end of THIS POST

Wednesday Open Thread

Hi Everybody.....

Just posting to let everybody know we're alive and well....

I know LoLo is busier...than a "one-armed paper hanger"?

Tom's plate is certainly full....

and me......well, I'm still busy being the proverbial "skunk at the picnic".....

Anyway, here's an open thread for everybody to jump in on....feel free...

e

Copyright: Dailykos 2006

STEPHEN COLBERT WAS NOT FUNNY By Dave V.
Stephen Colbert was not funny.
Helen Thomas is old and batty.
Mexicans are taking our jobs.
Iraq sent its WMDs to Syria.
Democrats don't want to wiretap terrorists.
Joe Wilson admitted that Valerie Plame wasn't covert.
Tom DeLay is like Jesus Christ.
Karl Rove has a faulty memory.
Scooter Libby has a faulty memory.
No one could have anticipated that the levees would be breached.
We do not torture.
There is no global warming.
There is global warming, but humans aren't causing it.
Howard Dean can't raise money.
John Kerry is a flip-flopper.
George W. Bush is a decider.
John McCain is a straight shooter.
Dick Cheney is a sober shooter.
Nobody at the White House knows Jack Abramoff.
Democrats do.
The economy is doing great.
Evolution isn't supported by the facts.
Diebold voting machines are secure.
Fox News is fair and balanced.
Mission accomplished.
Bill Clinton did it too.
No one could have anticipated the Iraqi insurgency.
The budget deficit will be cut in half in four years.
Anyone who thinks Dubai shouldn't control our ports is racist.
No one who thinks we should build a wall along the Mexican border is racist.
George Allen isn't a racist . . . anymore.
Terry Schiavo wants to live.
Andrea Clark wants to die.
We've turned a corner in Iraq.
There is a war on Christmas.
There is a war on Easter.
There is no civil war in Iraq.
The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
Bush won Florida in 2000.
Losing by 2 million votes in 2000 is a mandate.
This administration will hold itself accountable.
Brownie did a heck of a job.
Kathleen Blanco never asked for federal help.
Ray Nagin should have used the buses.
Gay couples seek to destroy marriage.
Man existed alongside the dinoraurs.
The earth is 6,000 years old.
America is a Christian nation.
George W. Bush is a Christian man.
George W. Bush is a great guy to have a beer with.
George W. Bush is a war hero.
John Kerry isn't.
John Kerry outed Mary Cheney.
John Kerry shot himself in the leg to earn his medals.
Al Gore thinks he invented the Internet.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was a communist and a terrible president.
Ronald Reagan was the best president in history.
Hillary Clinton will be the Dem nominee in 2008.
Bill Clinton caused 9/11.
Bill Clinton was offered Bin Laden on a silver platter and turned it down.
Saddam Hussein attacked us on 9/11.
No one could have anticipated airplanes flying into buildings.
We have removed the Taliban from Afghanistan.
The Iraqis will welcome us with open arms and flowers.
It could take six days, six weeks - I doubt six months.
Pat Tillman was killed by enemy fire.
Yellow magnet car ribbons help the troops.
The insurgency is in its last throes.
They hate us for our freedom.
The only way to get Zarqawi is to invade Iraq.
We're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them over here.
When they stand up, we'll stand down.
Iraqi oil will pay for the war and the reconstruction.
Gas prices are high because of liberal environmentalists.
Gas prices are high because of taxes.
Drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge will lower the price of oil.
Unemployment numbers have never been so low.
Outsourcing will create more jobs.
The vast majority of Bush's tax cuts go to the bottom end of the spectrum.
Tax breaks for Hummers are good for the economy.
Tax cuts increase federal revenue.
The estate tax hurts family farms.
Private accounts will save Social Security.
Bush will make health insurance affordable for low-income families.
The Healthy Forests Initiative will help forests.
No Child Left Behind will help children.
The Clear Skies Initiative will reduce air pollution.
Republicans are compassionate conservatives.
Republicans are pro-life.
Nothing is more important in a time of war than cutting taxes.
Democrats hate America.
Hillary Clinton murdered Vince Foster.
"Bin Laden Determined to Strike within the U.S." was a historical document.
The national anthem should only be sung in English.
Jesus would have voted for Bush.
Whenever we say "wiretap," that means we're going to get a court order.
Chris Matthews will not let anything get by him.
George Bush was a successful businessman.
The government is tapping your phone to protect you.
Dissent is unpatriotic.
Valerie Plame is a traitor.
Patrick Fitzgerald is going to indict Joe Wilson.
Jeff Gannon is a serious journalist.
Rush is right.
The media is liberal.
You're either with us or against us.
A vote for John Kerry is a vote for Al Qaeda.
George Bush doesn't read the polls.
Congress had access to the same intelligence.
Iraq is the central front on the war on terrorism.
Republicans are the party of ideas.
Those trucks we found in Iraq were mobile biological weapons labs.
We know where the WMD are.
Anyone who leaks information will no longer be part of this administration.
Sex education causes STDs and increases pregnancy rates.
HPV vaccine will cause teen sex cults.
Harriet Miers would be a great Supreme Court justice.
Vice President Cheney no longer has ties with Halliburton.
Bush will restore honor and integrity to the White House.
Up is down. Black is white. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.

Copyright 2006 Daily Kos (and sent by Bill H.) (from this blog: http://doc40.blogspot.com/ /)

We ARE the Democratic Party...

I have a relative who constantly insists that my frequent excursions into the "blogosphere" have made me lose touch with the "real world", or, at least, the Real Democratic Party. My defenses have been not as articulate as they should be but there is one among us, Stephen C. Day, who has expressed quite articulately just exactly who we, the netroots, really are.

This is probably the finest article I've seen yet. Read it here

and a snippet or two for your pleasure.......

I can time the exact moment when I concluded that the Hillary Express isn’t as unstoppable as some think. It was the same moment when I realized that the Clinton team believes they can win by running to the “right” of the netroots. “My God,” I whispered to myself, “they don’t get it. They really don’t get it.” And they don’t.

snip

Whatever fairytale certain parts of the Democratic establishment want to cling to notwithstanding, Internet dwelling Democrats aren’t some scary group of mutants; they’re the spitting image of the rest of the Democratic base, just with a few more gizmos attached.

snip

And sure we’re angry, but then so is just about every other Democrat I know — angry because a president who didn’t really win an election in 2000, has used a mandate he never had, to do more damage to this great country than any other president in history; you bet we’re angry.

Take some time to read the whole article....

btw: just an aside: Big Weddings suck!

e

Baghdad ER

Did anyone else watch Baghdad ER on HBO last night? It was bloody and brutal (hence the red letters) andcompletely draining to watch.

I am at a loss for words, but check out http://dailykos.com "DarkSyde" has posted some thoughts on the program. The post is also entitled "Baghdad ER".

Welcome to the Team!

Woohooo!!

I just got notice that Tom has joined the blog team.

Welcome aboard Tom!

Don't forget the meeting(s)

Executive Committee at 5:30

Regular Meeting at 6:30...

Special events:

Kathleen Falk will address the meeting

Also:

Talked to Julie Lassa last night and she is planning on attending.

"...and a good time will be had by all..."

Stick with the script

The Daily Howler and I are on the same page. For some time now, I have been saying (coughpontificatingcough) that the national media has been following a well-practiced, well rehearsed script concerning candidates for the Presidency. Here, the Howler talks about it in some detail.

Here's a snippet:

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: We’ll admit it. Our analysts were thrilled when Kevin Drum incomparably linked to yesterday’s HOWLER—to our post about the press corps’ script on the great sainted solon, John McCain. By now, it should be perfectly clear. Our White House campaigns are driven by the press corps’ scripts—and the script on McCain will decide Campaign 08, unless we start acting now. (Indeed, it may be too late already.) As we’ve long said, we regard Kevin as one of our very best analysts; without question, our side needs him attending to these plupotent scripts. A noxious script about Candidate Gore clearly decided Campaign 2000; the script on McCain is almost as foolish—and it could be just as potent. We all need to attend to this script—right now. We all cheered when Kevin went there.

The worst part, of course is that we, both as individuals and as a party BUY INTO these scripts. Read the whole article, it's breath-taking.

busy, busy, busy, busy....

I've been figuratively "up to my neck in alligators" for what seems like forever so I haven't been able to post or keep up on things as much as normal. I'll try to post some "headlines" now.....

Don't forget Kathleen Falk!

Kathleen is going to speak to us as the first item on the agenda on Thursday night. I haven't heard her speak before but others have told me that she's quite impressive. I am informed that radio coverage from Marshfield/Rapids will be there for her presentation.

Executive Board Meeting too....

Don't forget that the Executive Board will meet at 5:30 at the Legion Hall. Dave says we have a lot of things to kick around.

CONVENTION TIME!!

The State Convention is in LaCrosse on June 9 and 10. I'm really looking forward to seeing our Democratic Friends from all over the State. It's also fun to watch the floor debates on the resolutions. I think there are still some "slots" for delegates open so be sure to talk to Dave about attending.

Oh yeah, one more thing....the Wisconsin "blogosphere" and "Netroots" folks who normally gather on several blog sites will be getting together around 10PM on Friday night, the 9th. Last year's meetup was great fun....made even more fun because of the conservative/republican tavern owner where we gathered. All who blog here are welcome.....even if you just read the blog you're welcome.

I'll just leave this thread as "open" so you can jump in and add any comments you think necessary.

See you thursday night....

on edit: about that picture......my brother sent this to me courtesy of a friend who was a crew chief with the "Blues" .....I thought it depicted speed and movement....and also I just like the picture.

Wow! Toughest words I've ever seen

Frank Rich had this to say about the Nomination of General Hayden

"If Democrats — and, for that matter, Republicans — let a president with a Nixonesque approval rating install yet another second-rate sycophant at yet another security agency, even one as diminished as the C.I.A., someone should charge those senators with treason, too."

Here's the link to the NYTimes Article, via Digby link here

Digby suggests that with words this tough, Frank is a candidate for an all-expense-paid tropical vacation in Cuba, courtesy of the the Department of Homeland Security.

Here's another gem from the article:

It was under General Hayden, a self-styled electronic surveillance whiz, that the N.S.A. intercepted actual Qaeda messages on Sept. 10, 2001 — "Tomorrow is zero hour" for one — and failed to translate them until Sept. 12. That same fateful summer, General Hayden's N.S.A. also failed to recognize that "some of the terrorists had set up shop literally under its nose," as the national-security authority James Bamford wrote in The Washington Post in 2002. The Qaeda cell that hijacked American Flight 77 and plowed into the Pentagon was based in the same town, Laurel, Md., as the N.S.A., and "for months, the terrorists and the N.S.A. employees exercised in some of the same local health clubs and shopped in the same grocery stores."

Wow! Just wow....

Those of us who spend time on the web or the "fever swamp" of the blogosphere have known these things to be the truth for some time....but now, thanks to the circulation of the NY Times, the rest of the country is finding out.

That being said, however, you would never know the danger, banality, or just plain stupidity of appointing Hayden to oversee the CIA if you listened to the Sunday morning talk shows. "Leading Democrats" like Biden and Jane Harmon were both so "mealy-mouthed" that you would think they were personally invested in Hayden's nomination.

Find Those Dancin' Shoes!

I just noticed a new article posted at:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2000/051306W.shtml

According to Truthout, sources close to the Fitzgerald leak case are saying that KKKarl Rove has already been indicted, with a public announcement to follow next week. I also noticed that msn (online) today reported that Fitzgerald is in possession of an annotated copy of Ambassador Wilson's OpEd article on the lack of evidence of WMD's. (the article he wrote after his trip to Niger.) This copy was annotated by Dick Cheney and the notes suggest (maybe even prove) that Cheney was lying. Maybe Fitzmas will be here before July!

....where did I put those dancin' shoes?

Sources within the White House have confirmed that KKKarl Rove has told them that he WILL BE INDICTED for his role in outing CIA Operative and wife of Ambassador Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame. The whole story is from Truthout here:

a couple of snippets:

Within the last week, Karl Rove told President Bush and Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten, as well as a few other high level administration officials, that he will be indicted in the CIA leak case and will immediately resign his White House job when the special counsel publicly announces the charges against him, according to sources.

Details of Rove's discussions with the president and Bolten have spread through the corridors of the White House where low-level staffers and senior officials were trying to determine how the indictment would impact an administration that has been mired in a number of high-profile political scandals for nearly a year, said a half-dozen White House aides and two senior officials who work at the Republican National Committee.

The news apparently hit the "blogosphere" somewhere around five pm central time tonight and in some blogs (pardon the Monty Python line) "and there was much rejoicing." In other blogs there was some degree of skepticism and the reserve that comes from having hopes dashed too many times before. In my case, I've proclaimed "Fitzmas" one too many times to get excited but this time, just in case, I think I'd better start looking for "those dancin' shoes"....oh yeah, one more thing....I don't dance....I'm er...ah....rythm challenged.....

A few other things:

Be sure to ask Dave Wille about Suicide Republican Deer.

Remember the meeting is next week.

American Legion Hall, Pittsville, WI

Executive Board Meeting 5:30

Regular Meeting 6:30

Tim Swiggum, who is running against Scott Suder and spoke at our April Meeting, came out swinging last week. He's not going to back down on Suder one bit.....this is going to be good. Here's the link And a snippet for your enjoyment:

Swiggum: Rep. Suder knew of illegalities

Democratic 69th Assembly candidate Tim Swiggum said Friday that incumbent assemblyman Rep. Scott Suder must have known about illegal campaign activity in the Assembly Republican Caucus but never blew the whistle on his former boss, Rep. Scott Jensen, now convicted of three felonies for misconduct in office.

Sen Dave Zein (R-Puke) is already running ads on the Marshfield Radio Station. In the ad he claims to have sponsored legislation to help Seniors, Women and Children......the only thing he seems to have left out is widows and orphans.....I suspect that's next. According to my blog buddy, Sybylla, Zein must be pee-in-his-pants-scared of Pat Kreitlow . I've heard Pat speak twice now......Zein better be scared.

LoLo could use some help.....

She's working with FAIR and they need some help in canvassing in Wood County on the 20th. I'm sure she'll say something about it at the meeting on Thursday night.

BLOGGING ANYONE?

If anybody wants to join the blog team, drop a line in the comments and I'll get in touch with you to issue a blogger "invite".

gotta go....don't forget to add a comment or two....

edited Sunday 3:50 PM....I am so embarrassed....I forgot Pat's name and shot from the hip intending to go back and change it and I forgot....thanks LoLo...e

When you can't explain....duck out.....

Georgia10, and excellent diarist on Dailykos had this excellent article about Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It seems that Jackson told a group in a speech, that "..if you don't like George W. Bush, you don't get government contracts." (read the story by clicking the link to Dailykos) He went on to give an expample where he actually cancelled a contract given to a contractor who later claimed that he didn't like Bush.

Of course, under Federal procurement laws, that's illegal. So his press Secretary(Dustee Tucker) tried to explain it away....three times.....each successive time contradicting the time before....now she's on "planned leave" and can't be reached for any further comment or clarification.

Here's her picture:

That's her on the left.



Yeah.


I was thinking the same thing.

More Fair Wisconsin News

Here is additional information on canvassing door to door. The canvassing will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, in Marshfield. (and actually all over the state). The local canvassing will begin and end at Linda Melski's home at 1136 W. Ives in Marshfield. She would like to know ahead of time who is planning to do this. Please call LOLO at 384-2659, greehling@charter.net or tell me in person. I will forward your name to Linda. Fair Wisconsin also needs people to help decorate a float for the Dairyfest Parade in early June and they also need people to march in the parade. Again, let me know if you can do either or both. Please visit the website also at http://www.fairwisconsin.com

There is a resemblance

In Douglas Adams sci-fi classic Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy he notes that there is a "President of the galaxy" and his name is Zaphod Beeblebrox. According to the story, almost the entire galaxy was stunned by the "selection" of Zaphod as President because he was stupid, lazy and outrageous. But he becomes a friend to the book's hero, Arthur Dent and explains to him that the president' s role is not to actually run the government but to distract everybody from what the government is actually doing.


Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

Watch Bush, watch Bush, watch Bush (don't pay any attention to Gonzales)Watch Bush watch Bush watch Bush(don't pay any attention to Cheney)Watch Bush watch Bush watch Bush(don't pay any attention to Rumsfeld)Watch Bush watch Bush watch Bush Watch Bush watch Bush watch Bush Watch Bush watch Bush watch Bush Watch Bush watch Bush watch Bush

And, just for fun, a gratuitous picture of our favorite, Katherine Harris, sucking up to Bush in Florida...

on edit: You know I was joking about a medal for Porter Goss, but thanks to firedoglake, we discover,

IT'S NOT A JOKE!

Fair Wisconsin News

Last night I attended a meeting of the Fair Wisconsin group. Ed was there, also, as well as several others active in this group. This is the group which is working diigently to overturn the "ban on civil unions and marriage" (NOTICE THE FRAMING!!!!) which will appear on the November ballot. On May 20, this group will be canvassing door to door in Marshfield to talk to and educate voters about the dangers of this proposal. The canvassing will begin at Linda Melski's home at 1136 W. Ives. She is the local contact for Fair Wisconsin. The group also plans to decorate and enter a float in the Dairyfest Parade (and perhaps other events later). They are also looking for stories about real people likely to be hurt by this proposed ban. (Please limit to 1-2 paragraphs, names will be left out (unless you want them published), only the town name will be published, and email or send them to Patty Faber at pkf@tznet.com or W136 Meadow View Road, Spencer, WI 54479. She will put them on her newly-designed website.

How does all of this affect you??? This group needs volunteers to help canvas on May 20, they need volunteers to help decorate a float in late May-early June, they need contributions, and they need people to speak out against the ban on civil unions and marriage.

Lack of leadership showing up again

There has been a lot of left-wing criticism of Nancy Pelosi's effort on Meet The Press with Tim Russert yesterday. Of course, Russert did his usual "ambush" thing with her...playing a video clip of two years ago but Nancy did stumble....badly.....

on edit: Here's the link to Crooks and Liars
and a snippet:

MR. RUSSERT: But the impression, Congresswoman, is that the Democrats take control of Congress it’s payback. They’re going to have the subpoena power...
REP. PELOSI: No. That’s not the case.
MR. RUSSERT: ...and there’s going to be investigation...
REP. PELOSI: Well, that’s wrong. Well, we will have subpoena power.
MR. RUSSERT:..after investigation. You will have subpoena power.
REP. PELOSI: We will have subpoena power, and that's why the Republicans are so afraid that we will be able to show the public how they arrived at a prescription drug bill that is born of corruption. The cost of corruption is, is huge to the consumer, whether it’s a sen—middle-income seniors paying more at the pharmacy, whether it's the—all American consumers paying more at the pump, or home heating oil. How did we get to this place? Those—that is worthy of scrutiny. It’s not—investigation does not equate to impeachment. Investigation is the requirement of Congress. It’s about checks and balances.

Some bloggers are pointing out that there was an opportunity for Nancy to unload on Timmy-boy and put the administration in its place...but she didn't....

The only leadership that showed up yesterday was Howard Deam who openly mocked Tom Delay on This Week....

The problem is that we only have one Howard Dean and he can't be at all places at once.....we need good, articulate leadership to push our cause ...even in the face of an ambush.

A Medal for Porter Goss?

Well, maybe this one designed just for Porter by the ever vigilent Jesus General.

See his site here

Talk about embarrassing moments....

I had a bit of a flashback to my youth this morning while watching ABC TV's This Week with George Stephanapolis.

I rememeber that when we first moved into our house in Florida, we were paid a visit by the minister of a local evangelical church who was, obviously, trying to recruit our family to his church. My mother, being polite, asked the minister if he would like something to drink (e.g. tea or coffee, or Coca-Cola) but my youngest brother at the time assumed that "drink" meant what my Dad and his Navy friends usually drank...hard liquor...which my brother knew was stored under the kitchen sink. I assume, he wanted to be helpful and friendly too so while my Mother was pouring iced tea into ice-filled glasses, my brother (all of 4 years old at the time) dragged out and proudly presented the preacher with a bottle of Windsor Canadian Whiskey. What followed was one of the most frantic "cover your butt" embarrassed conversations I ever saw my parents partake in.

That's pretty much what happened this morning. Let me give you my take on it.

The subject was the resignation of Porter Goss and it was being discussed by the "roundtable of George Will, an ABC correspondent lady by the last name of Martha Raddatz and Katherine Vanden Huevel....(spelling is optional in this case, right?) Raddatz and Will both gave the standard White House spin, namely that this was a power struggle between Goss and Negroponte, and that Negroponte won the support of Bush. Will made a half-hearted attempt to say that this was a George Bush decision but it was still the same theme with the kicker being that the CIA is a rogue organization and needs to be brought under control.

But then came Katrina......she started out with the "conventional wisdom" and then burst right out and said..."it's about poker games and hotel suites and hookers" and we haven't heard the end of it....Stephanopolous must have peed his pants and hurridly came in with a "whoa, whoa, wait a minute...." Will jumped in by saying there is "absolutely no proof" that Goss was involved with hookers...(actually it's his staff) and Raddatz jumped in to support him and reiterate that it was a "power struggle".

Katrina Vanden Heuvel

Yeah. Right. And my Dad had absolutely no idea where that liquor bottle came from.

It was almost worth suffering through that show today.....almost. The joy of watching the bought-and-paid-for national media get blind-sided by the truth was wonderful.

On edit: I just found a link to DemocraticUnderground where the "surprise" and nervousness of the panel was discussed. Here's the link

e

On Goss(omer) wings....

I'm still trying to make sense out of the sudden resignation of Porter Goss as Director of the CIA and, if you read all the blogs, you'll have good reason to be confused.

Consider these entries:

From the trusted and reliable Talking Points Memo with Josh Marshall.

snip:

Also from the NYDN: ""It's all about the Duke Cunningham scandal," a senior law enforcement official told the Daily News in reference to Goss' resignation

The popular wisdom here and also with firedoglake

snip

So, with varying degrees of emphasis, we learn that the WH spin on Goss being fired by John Negroponte because the President was too much of a weenie to do it himself "resignation" is that Goss and Negroponte clashed over power issues. See CNN, the WaPo and the WSJ for examples of this continuation of the Russert line.
Which explains the immediate, abrupt, surprise "resignation" (with a meeting pending with upper level Pentagon officials who had no idea their meeting was to be abruptly cancelled due to Goss…erm…"resigning" before the start of said meeting) with no successor immediately in place while we are fighting on two hot fronts abroad and dealing with a constantly hyped threat from Al Qaeda…how, exactly?
Something smells.

buuuuuuuttttttttttt.............

If you listen to CNN, MSNBC or (puke) FoxNews....the line is that Goss was involved in a power struggle with the Directorate of Intelligence, Richard Negroponte and Bush sided with Negroponte.....

There was a "heads-up" from Dana Priest of the Washington Post last night to watch for a "bombshell" in today's paper but it hasn't happened so far.

So what are we to believe....?

A poster on DU mentioned that what makes the "power struggle" and firing story so hard to believe is that "...the Republicans would have given a collective left nut" to keep Patrick Kennedy on the front page for a couple more news cycles..." If I believe nothing else about Republicans, I believe they know how to control and manipulate the news cycles. The Patrick Kennedy story was going so well for them that they were loathe to interrupt it with what appears to be another story of dissarray in the White House. So what does that mean? It means, I think, that they couldn't control the Goss story. Something is yet to come and they couldn't wait for the Patrick Kennedy story to play itself out in order for them to "get ahead" of whatever story about Goss breaks in the next few days.

Inter-agency fighting? I doubt it....I'm waiting for the scandal

Did I mention that LoLo is a Star???

Our friend and team poster LoLo was singled out and lauded for her efforts in organizing in Marshfield while she was a the Democratic Leadership Institute in Merrimac last weekend......Now we all KNEW LOLO was special but now the rest of the state knows that too..

Lets hear it for LoLo
Cheers LOLO!

Whoa! About the Moussaoui Trial....

I guess I didn't remember this....and now, thanks to Will Bunch, I'm really angry!

Here's the link: http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/003237.html

Here's some snippets...lets see if it makes you angry too?

But the point is that after the time that they indicted Moussaoui, we came to get into custody the people who were directly responsible for that crime, the architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (pictured here at top), Ramzi bin al-Shibh, who was Mohammed Atta`s collaborator at every step of the way -- twice in 2001, Atta leaves the country to consult with Ramzi bin al-Shibh about the for the attack -- the financier who was also in custody, Qualli bin Atassh (phonetic) who helped planned it at the Malaysia meeting.
But the government has been completely stymied about what do to with these people. Why -- and this is the one where it is really worth connecting the dots. It goes straight into the White House, the Oval Office and the vice president`s office because key decisions were made about aggressive interrogation techniques that were going to be used on these people.

In other words, the real scum who carried out 9/11 can't be tried because we tortured them and the Bush administration is now afraid of what would come out at a trial. So now the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 can't get the real justice that they want and deserve.

So Zacharias( who wasn't one of the conspirators) is put on trial, whiel Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Ramzi bin al-Shibh and one other (who were conspirators) can't be tried because they were tortured?

My faith in juries has been restored

Zacarias Moussaoui has been sentenced to life in prison as opposed to receiving the Death sentence. As I said on another board, I'm "okay" with that sentence. Generally, I am opposed to the death penalty anyway but admit that there are times when I see people who commit such dispicable crimes that I waver....even though I understand that I'm referring to revenge as opposed to justice. In the case of Moussaoui, it was clear to me that he wasn't a 9/11 hijacker and he had nothing to do with the deaths of the people in the towers, the pentagon or Flight 93.

Moussaoui is a nutcase.

Pure and simple. He was too unreliable for even the nutcases who planned 9/11/01.

My favorite pundit, the rude one....put it best:
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

here's a snippet:

One of those family members was the cute-as-a-kitten Carie Lemack, a founder of Familes of September 11, who lost her mother, Judy Larocque, on that day. The quote of hers that's made the rounds of the news is her smackdown of Moussaoui: "He's going to be in jail for the rest of his life, which is exactly what this man deserves. He's an al Qaeda wannabe. And he does not deserve any credit for 9/11, because he was not part of that. And I am so glad the jury recognized that and realized that he just wanted to kill Americans, but he wasn't even skilled enough to be able to do that." Or the shorter quote: "[T]his man was an al Qaeda wannabe who could never have put together the 9/11 attacks."

"We have to look at the real problems in this country. If we're going to blame Zacarias Moussaoui, he's not the real problem. The real problem are the terrorists who do want to kill us, like Osama bin Laden, who is still not captured."


The jury recognized this. There is intelligent life left in the United States.

Motivation from Merrimac

Last weekend, four of us attended the Democratic Leadership Institute in Merrimac. Dave Wille tried to drown me with the leaking roof on his Miata but, as you can see, I survived to blog another day! The other two who attended were Tom O'Brien and Shirley Koltz. We were simply amazed at the crowd this workshop drew. Our large conference room was filled with adults, while a similar room next door was spilling over with young people who had their own training session. I was surprised that about half the adults in our group were actually running for office. Our time was about equally spent listening to great motivational speeches by several in office or seeking office, and participating in workshops on how to find candidates to run for office, how to use the voter file, how to effectively canvas, how to comply with campaign finance rules, and how to reach out to people of color and young people. One of my favorite speakers was Dr. Steve Kagin.

The high point for me was listening to a presentation by an enthusiastic young man representing the group Fair Wisconsin. This group seems extremely well-organized. They are now conducting training sessions in various cities and towns throughout WI; they are even bringing faith-based groups into their fold. Their main goal is to defeat the proposed amendment in defense of marriage act which appears on the ballot in November. They have a website and I recommend you visit it. You can sign an electonic pledge there to vote no on the proposed amendment, you can contribute online, and volunteer online. The best news of all! Fair American is coming to Marshfield to do a training session next week. Monday, May 8, 6:30-8:00 pm, at the Presbyterian Church located on Lincoln Avenue. There is another session scheduled in Stevens Point the following night. See this website for details: http://www.fairwisconsin.com

I was so impressed by this group that I immediately gave money, signed the vote no pledge, and signed up to go to the training session in Marshfield. I do have hope that by educating the public we can defeat this "hate" amendment in the fall. EVERYONE needs to help in this effort!

Re: Stephen Colbert...you don't suppose...

While a lot of the progressive/liberal blogs are absolutely "gushing" over what Stephen Colbert did at the White House Correspondents Dinner Last Night, I'm a bit "dumbstruck" as to why he was there in the first place.

The "mainstream" media is ignoring what happened last night, so maybe you missed his presentation/spoof/roast of George Bush who was seated a mere five (5) feet away. Here are some links:

From Huffington Post/Editor and Publisher here

From Rising Hegemon, here

And the video link from Crooks and Liars

A couple of Snippets,

He attacked those in the press who claim that the shake-up at the White House was merely re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. “This administration is soaring, not sinking,” he said. “If anything, they are re-arranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.”

Colbert told Bush he could end the problem of protests by retired generals by refusing to let them retire. He compared Bush to Rocky Balboa in the “Rocky” movies, always getting punched in the face—“and Apollo Creed is everything else in the world.”

Turning to the war, he declared, "I believe that the government that governs best is a government that governs least, and by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."

He noted former Ambassador Joseph Wilson in the crowd, just three tables away from Karl Rove, and that he had brought " Valerie Plame." Then, worried that he had named her, he corrected himself, as Bush aides might do, "Uh, I mean... he brought Joseph Wilson's wife." He might have "dodged the bullet," he said

Colbert not only roasted the President, he also roasted the press and by almost all accounts, they didn't think it was too funny. They didn't laugh much at all about his jokes and (according to almost all accounts) there were many audible GASPS! at his jokes. Gasps, in the sense of "Oh my God I can't believe he said that!"

We denizens of the blogosphere, or as Republican Pundits call us, "The Fever Swamp", know that Colbert's show, The Colbert Report, is a riff on Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh; in short it's PARODY! Didn't the Republicans get the message? Maybe they don't have a sense of humor, or maybe they don't understand parody.

I wrote once before about my fears about Colbert's show and I think it's worth posting again. Read it . Tell me what you think. Here's the link