Some of my favorite pics for this year...

Left:That's been my permanent state for the last six months...

Right: I KNOW these people....

Left: Dave? That you?

Right: If the "corporatists" have their way, can this be far off?

And the rudest (but still funny) of them all.....

Dammit....just ....damn...

In case you haven't heard, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated this morning (our time) in Pakistan. Here's the link to Josh Marshall's first reaction to the story. And, here's a link to the most recent updates (as of 2PM CST). According to some reports, there is already wide-spread violent reaction to the assassination and, in some circles, Musharrif himself is being blamed for allowing it to happen.

Here's a snip:

"The holding of fair and free elections is not possible in the presence of Pervez Musharraf. After the killing of Benazir Bhutto, I announce that the Pakistan Muslim League-N will boycott the elections," Sharif told a news conference, referring to his party.

Sharif urged other parties to join the boycott of the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections. A collective response, including by Bhutto's own party could seriously undermine the legitimacy of the vote as Musharraf attempts to engineer a transition to democracy after eight years of military rule.
"I demand that Musharraf should quit immediately," he said.

Reaction over the kingdom of Left-Blogsylvania has been pretty consistent in it's praise for Bhutto and condemnation of Musarrif and his regime but it has been duly noted that during her term as Prime Minister, Bhutto was no stranger to corruption and controversy.

Ultimately, of course, the assassination of Bhutto will be defined in terms of what it means to "us"...."us" of course meaning the United States of America. And, I'm afraid, that the prognosis isn't all that good. This could lead to a civil war or something very much resembling a civil war in Pakistan which would be dangerous to our interests in two distinct ways:

First, it will hamper, if not downright end, any efforts to hunt down and destroy the new breeding grounds of terrorist activity in the Warzikistan or northern provinces of Pakistan where we were just starting to make some progress with the Musharrif government. Hence, Taliban-like organizations and Al Queda wannabe organizations can grow and fester in that region if Pakistani forces are pre-occupied with keeping peace within the heartland of the country.

Second, and this is a BIGGIE....Pakistan not only possesses nuclear weapons, it also possesses proven and reliable vehicles to deliver them....within range of India and perhaps even farther...Turkey? Iran? Iraq? Ponder, for a moment, the consequences of a fundamentalist, Taliban-like regime with that capability. Scary huh? I certainly think so.

I won't go as far as some who have already "cannonized" Bhutto. She was no saint as far as I can tell, but at the same time she was a much greater advocate of our version of democracy and secular government than is our current "boy", Musharrif.

In all....

this is troubling....deeply troubling.

A different perspective on Christmas

Yeah, it's a cross post...but gimme a break....it's a Holiday!

Here's the linky-thing

Happy Holidays

Okay....fess up....

Who's bright idea was it to wish for a "White Christmas"?

A Message from Russ

I want to wish you and your family a happy holiday and New Year.

Thanks to your ongoing enthusiasm for our work, we just surpassed our year-end goal of raising $30,000, giving us a solid financial foundation to start 2008 off right.

Over the last year, I was honored by your outpouring of support for my work in the Senate. From trying to hold this Administration accountable for their complete disregard for the rule of law, to our fight to end this President's disastrous Iraq-centric foreign policy - you were right there with me, and for that I cannot thank you enough.

I am confident that in 2008, with your continued support, we can build on our past success and not only elect a Democrat to the White House - but also offer even more assistance to great progressive candidates across the country. I look forward to working with you on these challenges as together we continue to advance a progressive reform agenda for the nation.

Thank you again for all that you do.

Have a wonderful holiday and New Year.


Sincerely,
Russ Feingold

All time hits...of this one...

This comes to us courtesy of Jesus' General and the tapes of Truth Radio and Kent Hovind.

Keep in mind, these are transcripts from actual radio shows......

a few snippets for your entertainment:

Low cholesterol and its link to infertility. Keep in mind the big picture. Satan hates God. And Satan and God have been at war for 6,000 years. God's plan is fill the world with kids. [...] Satan, of course, wants the opposite. He wants to reduce the world's population to zero as soon as possible. And so Satan is going to work towards reduction of the population and lowering cholesterol is good way of doing that.

Truth Radio 19 April 2006 @ 35:30 (Tape 2)

If evolution is true, you could not know that it's true because your brain is nothing but chemicals. Think about that.Source: Seminar Transcript circa 1999Source: http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/_PDFArchives/science/SC1W0700.pdf

I happen to believe - I don't know if I could prove this - I happen to believe that during the original creation with the canopy of water overhead, increased air pressure and filtered sunlight, fermentation was not possible. I don't think Noah knew what he was doing when he got drunk. It was an accident. He was used to making the grape juice [...] so I'm going to give Noah the benefit of the doubt and assume his getting drunk was purely accidental ignorance.Truth Radio 1 August 2006 (Tape 1)

I think somebody has been slipping crazy pills into the watersupply.....

Top 10 Bushisms of 2007

Thanks to our friends over at WTF is it Now! We are pleased to present the

Top 10 Bushisms of 2007...

Enjoy!

10. “And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I’m sorry it’s the case, and I’ll work hard to try to elevate it.” –interview on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007.

9. “I fully understand those who say you can’t win this thing militarily. That’s exactly what the United States military says, that you can’t win this military.” –on the need for political progress in Iraq, Washington, D.C., Oct. 17, 2007

8. “One of my concerns is that the health care not be as good as it can possibly be.” –on military benefits, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

7. “Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit.” –addressing Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit. Later, in the same speech: “As John Howard accurately noted when he went to thank the Austrian troops there last year…” –referring to Australian troops as “Austrian troops,” Sept. 7, 2007

6. “My relationship with this good man is where I’ve been focused, and that’s where my concentration is. And I don’t regret any other aspect of it. And so I — we filled a lot of space together.” –on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007

5. “You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 — 1976.” –to Queen Elizabeth, Washington, D.C., May 7, 2007

4. “The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear — I’m a Commander Guy.” –deciding he is no longer just “The Decider,” Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007

3. “Information is moving — you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it’s also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets.” –Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007

2. “There are some similarities, of course (between Iraq and Vietnam). Death is terrible.” –Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

1. “As yesterday’s positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.” –on the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2007

Hooray for the grumpy old man!!!!

Those of us who have known Dave Obey for a while (like 30 years) know he has a tendency to be....ummmmmmm.....blunt......okay...downright grumpy....but we love him anyway. And here's exactly why we love him:

From this morning's Washington Post:

"Absent a Republican willingness to sit down and work out a reasonable compromise, I think we ought to end the game and go to the president's numbers," Obey said. "I was willing to listen to the argument that we ought to at least add more for Afghanistan, but when the White House refuses to compromise, when the White House continues to stick it in our eye, I say to hell with it."

snip:

a stern veto threat this weekend from White House budget director Jim Nussle put the deal in jeopardy, and Obey said he is prepared for a long standoff with the White House.

"If anybody thinks we can get out of here this week, they're smoking something illegal," he said.

Yeah.....that's the Dave Obey we love....and exactly WHY we love him!

Oops! My bad!

I didn't realize that I am so far out of the loop....until I got a call from Dave this morning reminding me that the December Meeting has been cancelled....we won't meet again until January 17.

That means no holiday socializing......

hmmmmmm....

could it be........

At any rate...happy holiday season to everyone!

Meeting night on Thursday

I've been a bit behind on posting lately but that's because the world has suddenly turned very very demanding of me and I've had to spread myself pretty thin for the past six weeks.

I haven't seen the agenda yet but I did confirm with Dave that Thursday night is our normal monthly meeting night and, as usual it's at the Legion Hall in Pittsville at 6:30 P.M...

The biggest national news, and by far, the most disappointing, is that at least two, and possible three members of our national leadership were briefed on Bush Administration torture er...ah..."harsh interrogation techniques" ...you know waterboarding? as far back as 2002. These same leaders then proceeded to spin and equivocate (e.g. LIE THROUGH THEIR TEETH) to the rest of us for almost five years. It's all over the web and on some progressive sites, there is a call for Nancy Pelosi to resign....

Yes, it's true. Nancy was one of the so-called "gang of eight" who was briefed on teh techniques, along with Jane Harmon. Here's the link to the version of the story on the Washington Post site. Read it ....but keep the vomit bucket handy.


The implications of this news are staggering. As one blogger put it, it's not that our own Democratic leadership was ineffectual in stopping the Bush administration from using torture, they were, in fact, complicit in it. Some bloggers (like Digby) are suggesting that primary opponents for each of the complicit Democrats are in order....specifically against Jane Harmon who barely survived a primary challenge last cycle/and they are also suggesting that Pelosi step down as Speaker.

I'm personally sickened by this news....how 'bout you?

This is getting out of hand....

Take a look at this article from Kevin Drum

snippet:

Yesterday's joke (from Chris Hayes)....

Myself, I'm currently working on two stories, one about a crucial little league team defeat John Edwards suffered in 4th grade that taught him hard lessons about resilience and competition and 5,000-word profile of an advertising exec from Duluth who roomed with Mitt Romney at Harvard for a week while his own dorm was under construction.

and then.......this is real:


In Boston this evening, Senator Obama said: "I'm not running to fulfill some long held plans or because I think it's open to me."....But that's not what Senator Obama's teachers, family, classmates or staff say:

....In third grade, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled 'I Want To Be a President.' His third grade teacher: Fermina Katarina Sinaga "asked her class to write an essay titled 'My dream: What I want to be in the future.' Senator Obama wrote 'I want to be a President,' she said." [The Los Angeles Times, 3/15/07]
In kindergarten, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled 'I Want to Become President.' "Iis Darmawan, 63, Senator Obama's kindergarten teacher, remembers him as an exceptionally tall and curly haired child who quickly picked up the local language and had sharp math skills. He wrote an essay titled, 'I Want To Become President,' the teacher said." [AP, 1/25/07 ]

Apparently ...at least according to Drum....this came from Hillary's press camp.

What does this mean to you?

Our good friend Tbogg posted this picture and I found it interesting enough to post here..

To me...it looks like Republicans paying homage their corproate Masters.......but then again, what do I know?

Best Republican video...sort of

The Repubs had a contest for YouTube videos...and this is what they got....(only five entries which included this one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgDwqLDlzcY

If you have trouble viewing it...go here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x72177

A few really good yucks here.....

In honor of Trent Lott's resignation....

Trent Lott

Denny Hastert

too many others to list....

Good Morning!

I've taken a bit of a blog vacation while attending to both civic and family matters but hope that most of that activity has settled down now and I can get back to my beloved internet(s)...

A bit of good Democratic party news:

First, Senator Harry Reid deserves a loud ATTABOY! for stifling Bush's favorite stunt of appoint rightwing nutjobs that he couldn't get through the Senate during the recess periods. These recess appointments were thwarted when give 'em hell, Harry called the Senate back into session (for less than a minute as I understand it) twice during the Thanksgiving break to keep Bush from making "recess appointments". Of course the Wall Street Journal editorial page excoriated Harry for it but for my money, Harry is finally showing some legislative savvy.

Way to go Harry!

More good news!

Senator Trent Lott is resigning. Nobody seems to know why he's resigning in only the second year of his six-year term, but there appears to have something to do with the tougher new laws concerning lobbying after you have served as a U. S. Senator. After January 1, a retiring Senator will have to wait two years before he becomes an official lobbyist. (on edit.... OOPS! I meant Mississippi, not Louisiana...sorry ;)Some liberal bloggers are upset because they won't be able to joke about Trent Lott's "Minnie Pearle hairpiece" anymore. Me? I'm glad the SOB is gone but fear for the worst with his replacement. hehehehe....thanks to Brother Attaturk for the picture and slogan.....

On State News....I want to formally Thank Senator Julie Lassa for her almost heroic efforts to amend the Cable Bill in the Legislature. That lady is a fighter and we....Wood County Democrats...are DAMN LUCKY TO HAVE HER....Thanks Julie!

Btw....you can show your appreciation to Julie by showing up at a reception (coughfundraisercough) in Stevens Point on December 5th....It will be at Clark Place, 1009 Clark Street in Stevens Point from 5- 7 P.M.....rsvps and "other things" can be sent to Friends of Julie Lassa....

Obama - Cheney Ticket?

I used to respect Tom Friedman.

I thought his premier book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, was a brilliant insight. But I think Sept 11, 2001 made him crazy; so crazy in fact that he endorsed invading Iraq, has supported the Bush "axis of evil" agenda, and now....

Here's how he suported the invasion of Iraq:

"... think it [the invasion of Iraq] was unquestionably worth doing, Charlie....We needed to go over there, basically, um, and um, uh, take out a very big state right in the heart of that world and burst that bubble, and there was only one way to do it....What they needed to see was American boys and girls going house to house, from Basra to Baghdad, um and basically saying, "Which part of this sentence don't you understand?"You don't think, you know, we care about our open society, you think this bubble fantasy, we're just gonna to let it grow?Well Suck. On. This.

Then, there's the famous "crazier than thou" column:

"No, the axis-of-evil idea isn't thought through -- but that's what I like about it. It says to these countries and their terrorist pals: "We know what you're cooking in your bathtubs. We don't know exactly what we're going to do about it, but if you think we are going to just sit back and take another dose from you, you're wrong. Meet Don Rumsfeld -- he's even crazier than you are.'"

now he proposes an Obama/Cheney Ticket...here's the text:

"If she were taking advantage of Mr. Cheney's madness, Secretary Rice would be going to Tehran and saying to the Iranians: "Look, I'm ready to cut a deal with you guys, but I have to tell you, back home, I've got Cheney on my back and he is truly craaaaazzzzy. You guys don't know the half of it. He thinks waterboarding is what you do with your grandchildren at the pool on Sunday. I'm not sure how much longer I can restrain him. So maybe we should have a serious nuke talk, and, if it goes well, we'll back off regime change" . . .

But Mr. Obama's stress on engaging Iran, while a useful antidote to the Bush boycott policy, is not sufficient. Mr. Obama evinces little feel for generating the leverage you'd need to make such diplomacy work. When negotiating with murderous regimes like Iran's or Syria's, you want Tony Soprano by your side, not Big Bird. Mr. Obama's gift for outreach would be so much more effective with a Dick Cheney standing over his right shoulder, quietly pounding a baseball bat into his palm."

So we need the "crazy uncle in the attic" standing by the side in order to enforce out will against other nations?

I think I'll reread that book .....I may have been mistaken about the "brilliant insights".

Oh Yeah, Fran Townsend has resigned from the Bush Administration.......

'cause I said I would.....

Hi Folks...



I told Sheriff Tom I'd put his picture up here for his approval.....



sooooooo....

"here 'tis!"

Now for some serious news....I heard through the grapevine that our good friend Norm underwent surgery this week. I know we want to all wish Norm a speedy recovery and that we will offer Loretta any help she might need while Norm recovers....we love you guys!!!!

Also a short reminder that we need to hold our election of officers tomorrow night...please try to make it to the meeting at 6:30 PM at the American Legion Hall in Pittsville, Wisconsin... (well, duhhhh....OF COURSE, it's Wisconsin...my brain is getting fried...

It's been a very active two weeks and I haven't been keeping up with things except what was immediately "on my plate"... I don't think I'm going to be getting a Christmas card from the Mayor this year......I'll try to keep this blog up to date for my 4 loyal readers.

Scribe....

About that Mukasey Confirmation...cave-in....

The "rude one" (aka The Rude Pundit) has a characteristically rude but nevertheless accurate description..

Warning: if you can't tolerate profanity don't click on this link. At any rate, here are a few snippets:

The saddest part about the Mukasey cave-in by Democrats was that it was so (redacted) predictable. Democrats do their wittle dance o' outwage, stompin' their cute toddler feet on the ground, balling up their fists and declaring, "No way, no how," before finally (redacted)themselves and crying to be loved. The second some of the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee voiced concern about Michael Mukasey for his inability to say if waterboarding is torture, we knew the way it was gonna go down. It's just (redacted)depressing, innit?

snip

For extra-deep-oh-(redacted)-pass-the-loaded-Glock despair, read Chuck Schumer's rank justification of why he's giving Mukasey the thumbs-up in the New York Times today. ....

Apparently, Mukasey personally assured Schumer that he'd enforce any laws passed by Congress. And it speaks volumes about our America that Schumer would feel that it's a valid point in Mukasey's favor. One might think that enforcing the law is pretty much the basic function of the job of Attorney General. But as debased as the Justice Department has become, all of a sudden it's a noble quality in someone. These (redacted)ers have lowered the bar so far down that moles tower above it.

Boy....isn't that the truth? How bad is it that we consider a nominee to be acceptable simply because he/she promises to obey the law? I always thought that obeying the law was the default position for any citizen of the United States. Apparently, it isn't a default position for members of the Bush Administration.

About "Liberal Idiots"

I know that Dave Obey got pretty upset with some constituents who badgered him in the hallway (in front of a video camera no less) about impeaching Bush. Dave apparently referred to the "Impeach Bush Now" crowd as "Liberal Idiots" and his reasoning behind it was because in the very practical sense, Democrats do NOT have the votes to impeach Bush.

Not only would impeachment require the crossover of Republican legislators, it would also require that all Democrats vote as a block...yeah...like that's ever going to happen...

So in the very practical sense, Dave is right.

The only thing that bothers me is that is Bush starts a war with Iran which leads to a larger, regional conflict and perhaps involves Russia....

Well

I'll be sorry the Liberal Idiots didn't prevail.

Way to go Russ!

Our very own Russ Feingold is once again showing he has a backbone...

per Talking Points Memo just a while ago:

"I will vote against the nomination of Judge Mukasey to be the next Attorney General. This was a difficult decision, as Judge Mukasey has many impressive qualities. He is intelligent and experienced and appears to understand the need to depoliticize the Department of Justice and restore its credibility and reputation.

At this point in our history, however, the country also needs an Attorney General who will tell the President that he cannot ignore the laws passed by Congress. Unfortunately, Judge Mukasey was unwilling to reject the extreme and dangerous theories of executive power that this administration has put forward.

The nation's top law enforcement officer must be able to stand up to a chief executive who thinks he is above the law. The rule of law is too important to our country's history and to its future to compromise on that bedrock principle."

Hey Repubs! See this?

Been really busy, busy, busy!

It's like on October 1, 2007 somebody fired a starter pistol and BANG! we were off to the races...

There's a lot going on and some of it simply doesn't make any sense for our city, our county, our state, our nation, or (most disturbingly) our beloved Democratic party.

In what few quiet moments I have, I've been searching for the soul of the party.....look at the picture ...can you find it?

Didn't think so...

Neither could I..

A message from Russ

Russ...

Yeah, THAT Russ...

Russ Feingold writes:

Dear Wisconsin Progressive,

As you may remember, I made a campaign pledge back in 1992 to hold a Listening Session in each of Wisconsin’s 72 counties every year. Over the past 15 years, I’ve held over 1,050 such meetings and traveled the equivalent of almost six times around the world—all within the state of Wisconsin.

A few issues consistently come up at these and other meetings; the unwise war in Iraq, of course, as does our nation’s continuing fight against international terrorism. Earlier this summer, I heard numerous concerns about the USDA’s failure to ensure accurate dairy price reporting, and I am increasingly reminded that our nation must end our dangerous addiction to oil and begin advancing renewable sources of energy to break this addiction.

All of these issues are very important. But the single most common issue that people bring up, the issue that really gets people talking is health care.

Everywhere I go, I hear about the rising cost of health care and the double-digit increases that small business owners must pay every year to continue providing coverage to their employees. I hear about the sacrifices that Wisconsinites are forced to make each year to ensure that they and their family members are covered.

Improving access to health care—and making health care coverage available to all Americans—has been one of my long-time goals. I support an overhaul of our current health care system, and I have recently introduced a new bill with Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) which will move us toward health care for all Americans.

Our bipartisan bill -- the State-Based Reform Health Care Act -- offers an American-style approach to health care reform. Under our plan, the federal government would help states provide health insurance to all their residents, but leave it to those individual states to decide how to go about it.

This legislation starts us down the road of health care coverage for all Americans by giving funding and authority to a select number of pilot states to provide health care coverage for all of their citizens, and encourage a flexible approach that allows each state to come up with innovative ways of achieving universal coverage. Our plan makes fiscal sense—providing $40 billion in funding that would be entirely offset—and would stipulate that all citizens must be covered and that the coverage be at least as good as the health care that members of Congress receive.

It’s time to break the logjam and I’m going to continue my efforts to give everyone affordable, quality health care.

With high hopes,

Russ Feingold
United States Senator
www.russfeingold.org

Cross post....yeah, I know...

but I think it's worth it...

See it here............

About the Sunday talk show lineup

Let's see here.............

Laura Bush is on Faux News Sunday.

George Stephanopolis for some unknown reason thinks interviewing Senator John McCain is relevant.

Little "Timmy" Russert, (you know, BIG RUSS'S boy) is playing "gotcha" journalism with Chris Dodd...probably because Dodd did something courageous last week....

but really ....

I mean ....really...

thanks to WTF is it Now! for the image...

LoLo's back

and some (blue-footed) boobies in her honor!

Finally, word from Riverbend

For those of you unfamiliar with Riverbend, I'll explain:

Riverbend is the blog name for an Iraqi citizen, presumably a woman, who for a long time wrote a blog from her home in downtown Baghdad. Her posts were anxiously awaited by the members of the blogosphere for a first-hand account of exactly what was happening during and after the United States Military occupied Iraq. There were long periods of silence and only sporadic posts from her during the last year or so but when she did post, each entry was an eloquent description of the almost desperate situation in Baghdad for the long-time residents.

Finally, on Sept 6 of this year, Riverbend posted that she and her entire family had left Iraq and sought safety in Syria. We had heard nothing from her since that date.

Thanks to our friend, Alwayshope commenting on Last Chance Democracy Cafe, we see that Riverbend posted again.....and this one....this one breaks my heart.....

here are some snippets and the link is here.....

By the time we had reentered the Syrian border and were headed back to the cab ready to take us into Kameshli, I had resigned myself to the fact that we were refugees. I read about refugees on the Internet daily… in the newspapers… hear about them on TV. I hear about the estimated 1.5 million plus Iraqi refugees in Syria and shake my head, never really considering myself or my family as one of them. After all, refugees are people who sleep in tents and have no potable water or plumbing, right? Refugees carry their belongings in bags instead of suitcases and they don’t have cell phones or Internet access, right? Grasping my passport in my hand like my life depended on it, with two extra months in Syria stamped inside, it hit me how wrong I was. We were all refugees. I was suddenly a number. No matter how wealthy or educated or comfortable, a refugee is a refugee. A refugee is someone who isn’t really welcome in any country- including their own... especially their own.

and the entire occupation...the entire Iraq misadventure...or as Dave Obey calls it, "this misbegotten war"....is summed up in this snippet:

The first evening we arrived, exhausted, dragging suitcases behind us, morale a little bit bruised, the Kurdish family sent over their representative – a 9 year old boy missing two front teeth, holding a lopsided cake, “We’re Abu Mohammed’s house- across from you- mama says if you need anything, just ask- this is our number. Abu Dalia’s family live upstairs, this is their number. We’re all Iraqi too... Welcome to the building.”

I cried that night because for the first time in a long time, so far away from home, I felt the unity that had been stolen from us in 2003.

I'm crying for you too Riverbend......all humanity is crying.....

Republican Rhetoric

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought --

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two!

And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'

He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

dshaw@jabberwocky.com

Lewis Carrol has nothing on modern day NEOCONS....even Jabberwocky makes more sense than some of the crap comoing out of the Mighty Republican Wurlitzer.......

witness Glenn Beck courtesy of Digby

When I say on the air, and I've said it a lot lately, that we need to come together and we need to get back into the center, we're being pushed on to the edges -- I want you to understand, that is not on policies. I don't mean that we come in the center on policies. We come to the center on principles. We come back to the center of the melting pot, that we're all one America, that just because I disagree with you doesn't mean you hate America, and I love America. We all love America. We just disagree on how we should function, what we should do, big government, small government. It doesn't mean you hate America. I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.

Okay Glen....we need to "come together" but then you divide us again....I definitely think Jabberwocky made more sense....oh yeah...and Jabberwocky wasn't hateful, bigotted and just plain mean as Glenn Beck...

Interesting Post

this came from CT_democrat over at Democraticunderground....thought it was interesting:

Logical Fallacy : "You need Independent/Republican votes to win.

"Status: False.

Most people believe that to win an election, any election, you need votes from Independents and the opposite party. This is, of course, totally false. It has been proven that not everyone votes, and more importantly, not everyone votes in every election. Meticulous statistical data has been gathered, and has proven that some people, who have voted in the past, simply do not vote sometimes. And also, some people who almost never vote, sometimes do. In other words, a person is not simply "a voter" or "a non-voter". The amount of people that vote fluctuates.

Thusly, in order to win an election, one does not need to pander to the middle, be centrist, or get Independent and/or cross-over votes from the other party. All they need to do, is get their OWN BASE off their asses and to the polls to vote, and they will win.

Maybe some of the National Democratic leadership needs to read this....especially since they were "taken to the woodshed" by nonother than the New York Times on yesterday's editorial page..

News and view...

Yeah, I know it's lame but here are a few tidbits that our membership needs to catch up on...

First, CONGRATULATIONS to the Clark County Democratic Party on their very, very successful 39th Annual Clark County Democrats Dinner. I attended and it was wonderful. Mel and Jordan do an excellent job of organizing the affair and it is becoming an "absolute must" for politicians of State-wide stature. Last night I was entertained by Senator Pat Kreitlow who was one of the three upset victories that helped put the State Senate in Democratic Party control. Pat is a great speaker. Then Dave Obey graced us with stories of the "old days" in the State Legislature. Dave is past the "red-meat politician" stage now and quickly becoming a respected "elder statesman". I'll be sure to be on hand for the 40th dinner.

Hmmmmm....maybe we should throw an "annual dinner"...what do you think?

Next....good news....the Governor stepped in like a stern parent and forced a compromise budget bill on Friday night. I talked to some "insiders" at the dinner on Saturday night and they all seem very pleased with the budget.....I'm not sure I understand the detail, but one of the "biggies" said in a speech that apparently the "Wisconsin Republicans (unlike George W. Bush) believe in global warming, because there's no money for the Department of Transportation in the budget so they must think there won't be any more snow."

The budget which has been agreed upon by Republican leader Huebsch, Democratic leader Judy Robson and the Governor still takes money from the Malpractice Trust Fund and INCREASES the amount taken from $175 Million to $200 Million....

I'm adding a personal note here.

At last Thursday night's meeting Dave Wille was nominated for another term as County Chair. He said he doesn't want to be Chair for life and I think he was a bit afraid after he said it that it might have indicated a reluctance on his part to assume the position once again.

Dave,

Don't worry. We didn't take that the "wrong" way.

Oh yeah........

LoLo should be returning from Africa tomorrow....anxious to hear the stories.

Interesting times we live in huh?

s

Don't forget the meeting tonight!

Nominations for next year's officers tonight....voting at next month's meeting....

Time: 6:30 P. M.

Place: Pittsville American Legion Hall (by the bank....sheeeeez...four years there and I still don't know the name of the street)

Oh, yeah.....special guest tonight.....

Amy Sue is going to talk about her budget vote....

And, of course, we'll see the two best Democrats in Wisconsin!

Trust me....vote for me again.....

In case you're wondering what I'm talking about, check out this article and the snippet:

They defeated the plan 53-44. Two Democrats - Sheldon Wasserman of Milwaukee and Amy Sue Vruwink of Milladore - sided with the bulk of the Republicans. A third Democrat, Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer of Manitowoc, did not vote but said he opposed Doyle's plan.

Like Jane at firedoglake says: I'm getting tired of trying to kick another football. h/t to Jane for the pic.....

Thanks to Dependable Renegade

I needed a laugh today and Dependable Renegade gave us this:

Caption: "I'm Sorry in Klingon"

rofl rofl rofl rofl...

HOLY S&&T!

Kargo X says what has only been whispered ...

But it's not just that. If Qwest's competitors were already abetting this bloodless(?) coup before 9/11, then the "administration's" domestic spying not only has little if anything to do with response to terrorism, but it also objectively failed to prevent 9/11.

Read the whole thing here.

If this is true, the implications are absolutely staggering. And just for the record, the information that sprung this didn't come from any third-tier conspiracy blog, it came from court records....

Think about it>

Quote of the Day?

There's a fine line between Hayekian learning-by-doing, Oakeshottian trial-and-error and simply fucking up.dsquared 10.08.07 - 4:32 am #



Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Read the whole thing here.

Or maybe this is a more understandable description of Bush's war policy...through the words of Kipling, no less:

Kipling had it on not learning by doing:
"As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began:
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire..."
Iran. anybody?James Wimberley 10.08.07 - 7:33 am #

Tragedy in Crandon

By now I'm sure you've all heard the news.

I'll give a brief recap and a couple of photographs from AP:

A young, 20 year old Forest County Deputy Sheriff and Part time City of Crandon Police officer went into the home of his ex-girlfriend near downtown Crandon and killed her and five other people in the home. Here's a link to the updated story.
In Wisconsin, we're not accustomed to such stories. They're usually reserved for big cities, or, if they're in a rural area, we always think of them as being very distant from us. This tragedy hits home because that's not who we are in Wisconsin. We're not known to be violent, unstable persons who "go off" at the drop of a hat.

No.

That's not us.

Not by a longshot.

Another blogger friend of mine commented on another tragic story the other day, and, after reviewing the facts of the case, determined that nobody did anything illegal; nobody did anything to provoke the tragedy except the person who committed it. I think that's the case here. There is no obvious platform to blame a "gun culture"...after all the perpetrator was a Deputy Sheriff for Forest County. He was authorized to carry a gun.

I read the first Associated Press Article on this story this morning and already they were playing the "Neighbors ask : How did shooter get through the system?" card early this morning. In my opinion, that's a stupid question.

Why is it a stupid question?

Because there probably wasn't (and in many cases there never is) any sign of this kind of emotional instability before. It was just one of those instances where somebody "snapped". As much as we'd like to point to some sign; point to some incident that "should have" tipped us off to potential instability, it's probably fruitless...or worse, anything said in retrospect is like trying to conjure up an image in tea-leaves.

Sometimes these things happen.

We don't know why.

I think this police officer feels theway most of us do.

And maybe it's better to just leave it that way.

Got some "catchin-up" to do....

Wow....

Been gone for four days...lots happening...

first, this post from the Rude Pundit caught my eye....

The Rude Pundit has not been one of the loud drum beaters for impeachment out here in Left Blogsylvania because of the practicality of achieving it. But he has to say that the longer these depraved motherf****** get to go unpunished, the more obvious it is that the Congress and, indeed, the citizens of this fallen nation have decided what kind of people they are.

He was referring, of course, to this article that appeared in the New York Times: Apparently, as soon as "Alberto"...ummmm "I can't recall" Gonzales took over the Justice Department, torture was "okay" in the eyes of the Administration. It's a long article and because I was at the convention, I missed it. But the best summation of how is feel is just like "the rude one" states above.....the Bush Administration MUST be brought to justice for these crimes.

Then, there was the SCHIPS veto. Read that here. You know, there isn't a bottom to the "low" that Bush can sink to. This sucks....this is as bad as it gets....

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., decried Bush's action as a "heartless veto."

"Never has it been clearer how detached President Bush is from the priorities of the American people," Reid said in a statement. "By vetoing a bipartisan bill to renew the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, President Bush is denying health care to millions of low-income kids in America."

Democratic congressional leaders said they may put off the override attempt for as long as two weeks to maximize pressure on Republican House members whose votes will be critical.

There's soooooo much more to write but for now I just want to put my feet up and relax for a while...I'll write more this weekend.

Oh yeah....LoLo is OFF TO AFRICA!

psssst.....LoLo....don't ask "What's for dinner?"

Just me and the troll....

I'm the one on the right.....

(grin)

Madison trip planned for the day has been CANCELLED!

Milwaukee tomorrow....

scribe

Hope from "the Cafe'"

Yeah.....

Steven Day does it again.....fills me with unbelieveable sadness and, remarkably, simultaneously, hope.....

Here's the Latest episode of The Last Chance Democracy Cafe'

and a snippet or two....

Has there ever been another monument in all of human history so perfect? So fitting to the historical setting? The long black wall, staggeringly beautiful in its simplicity, with the names of over 58,000 American martyrs chiseled into the granite: all are equal regardless of rank, each name spelled out with the same five-inch-high letters. High ranking officers and the lowest ranking privates, all standing witness together.

58,000 stories, each one screaming out to be heard: 58,000 potentially bright futures forever lost. Oh, my God. The awful silence: all the books never written, the children’s voices never heard and the joys never expressed. The waste. The lies. The unspeakable betrayal.

snip

Today, of course, we face another great betrayal. And a new progressive grassroots political movement, this time built to a significant degree around the Internet, is blowing across the land, as public anger over Iraq keeps growing stronger. Meanwhile, “respectable” Beltway opinion stands baffled by the forces at play.

The opportunity for fundamental change, not only in ending this miserable war, but in building a more just society is considerable, but far from inevitable. It will take hard work, but also patience. It will take toughness, but the smart sort of tough that doesn’t offend people just for the sheer joy of offending them.

read it all....but here's a hint.....bring tissue....

Cuppa Coffee and a few grins...

Mostly courtesy of DU, but funny nonetheless....

This quote on a thread:

response #11 by tecelote: When evolution is outlawed......only outlaws will evolve!

You know, I kinda think that would make a good bumper sticker.

On the death of Marcel Marceau.

Marcel Marceau has died

response #1 by The Straight Story: His silence has been silenced RIP

response #2 by MethuenProgressive: .......................................................................

response #4 by lateo: A moment of silence please

response #6 by gratuitous: And his last words were . . . .

response #8 by spirit of wine: Will he be buried in a glass coffin? just to keep on with his theme.

response #11 by SeattleVet: I understand he went quietly. It is unknown at this time if there were any final gestures. Please join us in a moment of noise in his memory!

response #18 by soothsayer: You don't say?

On a thread about a survey taken of NASCAR drivers....

NASCAR Drivers: 59 % Republican, 0 % Democratic...

I'm not saying that we should like/dislike a sport because of its participants political leanings. But it's quite hard for me to care about a sport where no driver will admit, in a private survey, to being a Democrat...

response #4 by GreatCaesarsGhost: republicans like going around in circles really fast and getting nowhere.

response #22 by Lastlaughin08: They call it the "Iraq 500" - except the finish line keeps moving away

response #35 by The Gunslinger: But they sure turn left a lot............ .................. ...... nt

Thanks to JeffR for his weekly DUzy Awards....they're hilarious!